Pekka Rinne became the 34th goaltender in NHL history to record 300 career wins last night, backstopping the Predators to a 7-1 dismantling of the San Jose Sharks. Honestly, it could’ve been much worse for the Sharks. Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell was under siege all night, getting precious little help from the Sharks defense as they surrendered odd-man rushes, refused to clear rebounds and frankly, left the youngster out to dry. It’s easy to blame it all on Dell… but it would also be wrong.
It was one of those games that left you drooling for playoff time, because an effort like that serves notice on the rest of the league. This Predators team is for real.
San Jose started out trying to keep the JoFA and FiST lines in check… that’s OK… the third line did the damage in the first period… Nick Bonino got it going quick with a wraparound goal just 1:55 in and Scott Hartnell bookended the period, converting a Bonino pass with a nice little off speed chip to send the teams to the room with the Predators leading 2-0.
The second period saw a nice pushback from San Jose, they took the play to the Predators for most of the first half of the second period. They finally converted of a funky play from Logan Couture that found the puck squeezing into the net off of a backhand pass… it would be the only goal Rinne would give up on his night that halved the lead… and seemed to provide a bit of a wake up for the Predators.
Nashville responded by seizing the momentum, hitting the gas and never looking back. After the third line potted two, the Sharks adjusted their defense… which opened things up for the FiST line and Kevin Fiala restored the two goal lead (and provided free Big Macs) with a tad more than four minutes to go and the teams finished the second where they started it, Nashville holding a two goal lead.
The Predators came out smokin’ for the third period, and it was the JoFA line's turn. Viktor Arvidsson posted his 22nd goal of the year on a power play just 3:49 in, Ryan Johansen got one about two minutes later and Mattias Ekholm made it 6-1 with nine minutes to play. Calle Jarnkrok scored with a little over two minutes to go to give the Preds their margin of victory 7-1.
The emotion in the game was palpable from the Predators. It didn’t matter who the opponent was last night. They were winning that game… the emotion was driven by desire to get Pekka Rinne his 300th NHL win.
Rinne has spent his entire career in Nashville, he has been and remains an elite goaltender in this league and while 300 is just a number… knowing that he is is one of only 34 goaltenders to achieve that plateau, and only the third Finnish player to do it, well that is special. But what is more special is what a really great guy he is.
Easy-going with an easy smile that he willingly shares with everyone, his teammates love him but not only love, they respect him. He is a big voice in the locker room. In the 14 years he has been in the organization, we have seen him mature into a key cog for the Predators.
I remember when he was working his way up to the big club… he was called up to Nashville from Milwaukee to fill in against Chicago. The team wanted to see what he could do… he managed to get to the rink in time, but his equipment did not and he was unable to go. Dan Ellis got the start that night and Pred fans recall the run Ellis went on. Rinne was sent back down without seeing the ice.
I remember seeing the disappointment on his face as he walked off the elevator into the event level of the Arena… but I also clearly remember a sense of determination coming off of him in waves. I knew at that point that he would be in Nashville soon… but even I did not see this coming. 300 wins is a special plateau, but it doesn’t represent the end game for Rinne.
His eyes are firmly focused on the prize… the one that gets awarded in June.
Here’s the highlights…
Predators are back in action Sunday morning … yes… morning… at 11am for the franchise’s first regular season NBC home game.
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“Where We Stand” update… a daily tracking of where the Preds are in the standings and the games that impact them most, brought to you by Mark Lonsway - THE real estate professional for hockey fans!
After last night’s play the Predators are first in the Central Division with 83 points, four points ahead of Winnipeg (0 GIH) and nine points ahead of Dallas (1 GIH) … the Preds lead Minnesota (0 GIH) by ten points and St. Louis (1 GIH) by eleven. The Predators trail Vegas (0 GIH) by one point for the Western Conference lead.
Impact games tonight (all times Central) – 6pm – MIN @ NJR. 7pm – WPG @ STL. 9:30pm – VAN @ VGK.
Playoff Odds Courtesy SportsClubStats.com - The Predators playoff chances are at 99.9%, they need 14 points in 22 games to get to the 97 point line.
The Playoff Point Line - I look at the point level needed for at least a 75%+ chance to make the playoffs… right now, 97 points gets you at 80.5% chance of making the playoffs, 96 gets you a 60.6% chance.
Playoff odds and playoff point line courtesy of SportsClubStats.com
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Random Notes
- I think we can consider the February slump busted… last night’s win was the Preds 3rd in 4 nights.
- The Nashville Predators Foundation Gala is tonight, called Preds and Threads, it’s a fashion show event with the team and their significant others and friends acting as the models. There will also be a silent auction and a live auction hosted by yours truly :-) … Check the Preds website for more information.
- When I say it could have been worse for San Jose… the Predators hit at least four posts last night.
- Pekka Rinne is tied with former Predator Tomas Vokoun on the all-time win list.
- Eeli Watch – Eeli Tolvanen finished his Olympic tournament with 3 goals and 6 assists in 6 games. He will return to the KHL to finish their season.
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SlapShot Radio’s tenth anniversary season is on. As the longest running hockey show in the region, SSR feeds hockey fans what they crave… intelligent, fun, entertaining talk about their favorite sport and we do it from the opening of training camp all the way through UFA day… the only local hockey show that does that.
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