With his 30-save shutout on Saturday night, Pekka Rinne became the first NHL goalie to record a shutout and two assists in a playoff game since Tom Barrasso did so for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Since Rinne also shut out the Blackhawks in Game 1, he now has more points than Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and the entire Blackhawks team this postseason. Who saw this coming?
To answer the question: Nobody. Probably not even Rinne. He went 1-2 with a sub .900 save percentage against Chicago this season.
To make even more history, Rinne is the first NHL goaltender to earn back-to-back shutouts to open a playoff series in seven years, according to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. Rinne, though, has never been one to steal the limelight.
“I think as a team, we defend so well, they box out, let me see the puck - like tonight, there probably wasn’t one shot where I didn’t see it,” Rinne said, per Vingan, crediting a strong, mobile defense corps that features Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
What a difference a year makes for Rinne.
Many had written him off last season after allowing a league-high 161 goals against and posting a sub .910 save percentage for only the second time in his career.
It seemed as though the window of Rinne's dominant play and the window of Nashville being a complete team - thanks to the acquisition of a true No. 1 center in Ryan Johansen - wouldn't intertwine.
Even though Rinne bounced back in a big way this past season - despite being 34 - Nashville didn't quite live up to the hype of its lofty preseason expectations, getting into the playoffs as the second wildcard team.
Yet, the Predators have quickly silenced their critics, putting a stranglehold on their series with the Blackhawks, a team who has won three Stanley Cups since 2010, and seemed poised for another deep playoff run with a 109-point regular season. Still, the veteran goaltender doesn't want to look too far ahead, despite his early success.
"Coming into this building, playing against Chicago, a really good team, being up 2-0, it's great but we know what kind of team they have over there," Rinne said. "We've got to stay focused and stay on top of our game."
Nashville's combination of depth up front, mobility on the blue line, and Rinne in peak form has all the makings of a formula for a deep playoff run.
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