When do the Preds turn to Saros?

Pekka Rinne has not been good against the Pens, is it time for a change?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
When do the Preds turn to Saros?
Keystone Press

Heading into the Stanley Cup Finals Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was considered a frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s playoff MVP. Two poor performances against the Pittsburgh Penguins however, and it looks like Rinne may never win another game again. 

Last night’s loss in which Rinne gave up 4 goals on 25 shots and earned a measly .840 Sv%, was perhaps his worst showing yet. This in arguably his team’s biggest game to date. Truth be told, Rinne hasn’t been himself since tearing through the Chicago Blackhawks with two shutouts in the opening round. He’s been passed in almost every statistical category by Penguins goaltender Matt Murray and has surrounded 15 goals in his past five games.

Backing up Rinne is 22 year-old Juuse Saros, who performed admirably in relief yesterday evening. The rookie played only 21 games in the NHL this season but outperformed Rinne both in terms of GAA and Sv% during the regular season. Might the Preds turn to the youngster out of desperation?

Stanley Cup playoff lore is filled with “passing of the torch” tales and you needn’t look any further than last season’s transition from Marc-Andre Fleury to Matt Murray for a successful example. For all the attention that the Penguins have received in goal this postseason, perhaps it’s time for the script to flip and put the Preds and head coach Peter Laviolette on the hot seat for a bit.

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