Pekka Rinne has been one of the biggest reasons for the Nashville Predators' success, and he appears to be doing it despite some less than spectacular play during the first two games of several playoff series this spring.
The Predators goaltender has a 1.62 GAA and .943 save percentage in these playoffs if you remove Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, as pointed out by The Tennessean's Adam Vingan.
In fact, Rinne has bounced back with strong performances after struggling over the first two contests in each of the last three rounds.
Let's take a closer look.
2nd Round
Rinne was merely average in the first two games against the St. Louis Blues, going 1-1 and giving up six goals.
| Game | SV | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 30 | .900 |
| 2 | 17 | 20 | .850 |
| Combined | 44 | 50 | .880 |
But he played much better after that, winning three of the next four games while allowing only five.
| Game | SV | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 22 | 23 | .957 |
| 4 | 32 | 33 | .970 |
| 5 | 30 | 32 | .938 |
| 6 | 23 | 24 | .958 |
| Combined | 107 | 112 | .955 |
Western Conference Final
Rinne played well in a Game 1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, but struggled in a Game 2 defeat.
| Game | SV | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 29 | .931 |
| 2 | 22 | 26 | .846 |
| Combined | 49 | 55 | .891 |
Then he once again raised his game over the rest of a series.
| Game | SV | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 19 | 20 | .950 |
| 4 | 34 | 37 | .919 |
| 5 | 32 | 33 | .970 |
| 6 | 38 | 41 | .927 |
| Combined | 123 | 131 | .939 |
Stanley Cup Final
Rinne had his worst two-game stretch of these playoffs in the first couple of contests against the Pittsburgh Penguins, conceding eight goals and being pulled early in the third period of Game 2.
| Game | SV | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 11 | .636 |
| 2 | 21 | 25 | .840 |
| Combined | 28 | 36 | .778 |
Things turned around for Rinne in Games 3 and 4, as the Predators won both affairs, thanks in part to his strong play.
| Game | SV | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 27 | 28 | .964 |
| 4 | 23 | 24 | .958 |
| Combined | 50 | 52 | .962 |
This trend wasn't evident in the opening round, as Rinne was dominant in the first two games against the Chicago Blackhawks, posting back-to-back shutouts to kick-start the Predators' eventual four-game sweep.
And while he clearly played worse in the first two games of each subsequent series than he did in the later contests, it's worth remembering the wild-card Predators have opened all four matchups on the road by virtue of being the lowest seed.
Rinne has simply been lights out in Nashville, but not so much when playing away from Bridgestone Arena.
| Rinne (2016-17 Playoffs) | Record | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9-1 | 1.44 | .949 |
| Away | 5-5 | 2.36 | .913 |
His mid-series improvement is noteworthy, though, and it shows he's been able to shake off subpar performances in hostile territory as playoff matchups have progressed.
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