Pekka Rinne shuts down Blues offense, Predators advance
by Joshua Wattay | Predators Correspondent | Sun, May 7th 11:10pm EDT
Pekka Rinne stopped 23-of-24 shots-faced during Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Saint Louis Blues as the Nashville Predators advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Fantasy Impact:
There were signs for concern early in this one as Rinne allowed a Paul Stastny goal at the 2:04 mark of the 1st period to give Saint Louis the early 1-0 advantage. The goal wasn't entirely on Rinne as the Predators defense came out of the gate slow to react, almost identical to their performance in Saint Louis for game-five. Regardless of the situation, Rinne and company quickly regrouped during the first period intermission and stalled the Blues momentum to start the second period, which resulted in a Roman Josi goal before a minute had passed. The "Great Wall of Finland" remained stalwart in the third period, making use of the glove and the pad often while reacting instinctively. Its the first Western Conference Finals appearance in franchise history for the Predators, and their playoff home-ice win streak extends to nine games. On the series Rinne averaged a .929 save-percentage to go along with a 1.83 goals-against-average and a 4-2 record. He will need to remain on the same level or better as the Predators enter uncharted territory for the franchise in the Western Conference Finals.
Category: Game Recaps | More Pekka Rinne: News, Rankings, Stats
