Pekka Rinne’s Best Moments With the Predators

2016-17 looked like it would be a similar heartbreaking season. Even after acquiring P.K. Subban for Shea Weber, the Predators took a step back. They ended with just 94 points, forcing them to play as the wild-card team against the Blackhawks, who were a 109-point juggernaut. They would lift the Stanley Cup three times in Rinne’s career (2010, 2012, 2015), and they were well-positioned to do it again.

However, they ran into Rinne, who had the series of his life. He did the impossible; he shut out the Blackhawks in back-to-back games on their home ice. It was the Predators’ first two road playoff shutouts in franchise history.

The Predators completed the shift with a thrilling Kevin Fiala overtime winner in Game 3 and a 4-1 rout in Game 4. Overall, Rinne stopped 123 of 126 shots through the entire series, for a .976 SV% and a 0.70 GAA. It was unthinkable for Predators fans, and it’s a memory that will live on forever.

2017 Western Conference Finals vs. Anaheim Ducks

It was an outstanding feat to sweep the Blackhawks, who were the No. 1 team in the Western Conference. The Predators also finally made it past the second round with a 4-2 series win over the St. Louis Blues, with Rinne posting a .932 SV% and 1.86 GAA.

However, there was one hill left to climb. The Anaheim Ducks were the top team in the Pacific Division, with a strong blend of forward depth and their own Vezina-caliber goaltender in John Gibson. The Predators had upset the Ducks in the first round in 2016, and the Ducks were expected to come back stronger than ever.

The series was as even as it gets at first. It was 2-2, with the Predators scoring 10 goals and the Ducks scoring 11. Heading back to Anaheim, it would be no easy task to defeat the Ducks.

That’s when Rinne got involved. In Game 5, he stopped 32 of 33 shots for a .970 SV% in a 3-1 win. That game ended up deciding the series, as the Predators routed the Ducks 6-3 in Game 6. Rinne saved 38 of 41 shots for a .927 SV%. Pandemonium was in the air in Nashville; the Predators were going to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in team history.

2017 Stanley Cup Final vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Unfortunately, the Predators had to go against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the Final. They had a rough defense, but the duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin was as dazzling as ever. Phil Kessel and youngster Jake Guentzel were on fire as well. Overall, all four of those players finished with over 20 points, while the Predators had none.

The Penguins’ relentless forecheck and speed were too much for Rinne at first. He gave up four goals in a 5-3 loss in Game 1, and in Game 2, he gave up another four in a 4-2 loss. However, he adjusted back home. In Game 3, he stopped 27 of 28 shots for a .964 SV% in a 5-1 win, and in Game 4, he made 23 of 24 saves in a 4-1 victory. Tied at 2-2, Nashville had a major chance to get back in the series.

Unfortunately, the Penguins embarrassed Rinne in Game 5. He gave up three goals on six shots, and he was pulled for young prodigy Juuse Saros in a 6-0 loss. However, Game 6 saw a vintage performance from Rinne. He saved 27 of 28 shots, and he very well could’ve won the game if it weren’t for a puck behind Matt Murray that wasn’t seen. Murray ended up stopping all 27 of the Predators’ shots that day. The Penguins were victorious again, and the Predators were right on the doorstep.

Vezina-Winning Season: 2017-18

Hungry for revenge after a brutal Stanley Cup Final loss, the Predators played the entire 2017-18 season on a mission. Subban nearly won the Norris, Roman Josi was a Norris contender, and Filip Forsberg nearly averaged a point per game (64 points in 67 games).

The biggest contributor, however, was Rinne. Through 59 games, he had a 42-13-4 record, a league-leading eight shutouts, a .927 SV%, and a 2.31 GAA. Now at 35 years old, Rinne finally earned the hardware he’d been competing so long for: the Vezina Trophy.

He helped the Predators win the Presidents’ Trophy as well, the only time they’ve earned that honor in team history. In the first round vs. the Colorado Avalanche, Rinne helped the Predators win the series 4-2, including a 5-0 shutout in Game 6 to clinch it.

Unfortunately, he ran into the Winnipeg Jets. They were ascending onto the NHL scene with stellar new goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, making it to the second round for the first time in this iteration’s existence. Hellebuyck earned a .929 SV% and 2.44 GAA against the Predators in the second round.

Sadly, Rinne couldn’t keep up. He had a .900 SV% and 3.49 GAA through the series, and the Jets won in seven games to make it to the Western Conference Final. It was the only time in this iteration’s history the Jets advanced to the Western Conference Final.

2019 First Round vs. Dallas Stars

The 2018-19 season saw a step back for the Predators. They still finished first in the Central Division, but they fell to just 19th in goals for. Still, they had the third-fewest goals against, and that was partially because of Rinne, who had a .918 SV% and 2.42 GAA.

However, Saros was also emerging onto the scene. He started 27 games and had a .915 SV% and 2.62 GAA. He was looking like a solid replacement in net, so the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs would be a big moment for Rinne. The Predators played the wild-card Dallas Stars in the first round.

Rinne held up his end of the deal in the first three games. He stopped 88 of 94 shots for a .936 SV% and 2.00 GAA, very good numbers, and the Predators had a 2-1 series lead.

Unfortunately, the Stars broke through in Games 4 and 5, potting 10 goals in the next two games to take a 3-2 series lead, and Rinne had an ugly .735 SV% in those two games.

In Game 6 at Dallas, we saw another vintage Rinne performance. He stopped 49 of 51 shots for a great .961 SV%. However, it only led to heartbreak. At 3:07 in overtime, Stars defenseman John Klingberg took a cross-ice pass from winger Alex Radulov and beat Rinne underneath his glove hand. The Stars advanced to the second round, and the Predators left heartbroken. That would be the final playoff game of Rinne’s career.

Goalie Goal: Jan. 9, 2020 vs. Chicago Blackhawks

In 2020, the core that sent them to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final was fading, and that included Rinne. At 37, he was starting to show his age. He posted a .895 SV% and 3.17 GAA in 36 games, with Saros taking over starting duties.

However, he still had one glorious moment during that season. In a regular-season game on Jan. 9, 2020, the Blackhawks pulled their goalie down 4-2 with less than a minute to go. They dumped it in, and suddenly it fell on the stick of Rinne, who rifled it over Blackhawks center Kirby Dach to the Blackhawks side. The puck slipped into the empty net, giving Rinne a moment every goalie dreams of: scoring a goal.

Rinne became just the 12th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal. It was a lighthearted moment, and he earned hugs from the Predators bench after the game. It was a very cheeky moment, and there were few more deserving than Rinne of achieving that feat.

Rinne’s Last Game: May 10, 2021

By the 2020-21 season (shortened by COVID), Rinne was the backup to Saros, whose star was starting to shine. Saros ended with a .927 SV% and 2.28 GAA, outclassing Rinne’s .907 SV% and 2.84 GAA. Saros earned the sixth-most Vezina votes that season, although Rinne took home the King Clancy Memorial Award.

However, Rinne still had one major hurdle to clear: shutout No. 60. He had one more chance to do it in 2020-21. In the final regular-season game of the COVID-shortened season, Rinne went against the Carolina Hurricanes, who were the top team in the newly formed Central Division.

Somehow, he achieved it. He stopped all 30 shots against the Hurricanes in a 5-0 win for the Predators. Rinne earned 60 career shutouts, passing Evgeni Nabokov for the 19th most in NHL history. He also picked up win No. 369, which also put him 19th all time.

Rinne retired after the 2020-21 season. It was the end of an era, and what better way to end it than with a shutout in the final game of his career.

The Legacy of Pekka Rinne

As I touched on earlier in the article, Rinne’s legacy symbolizes the Predators organization as a whole. The Predators are built on intimidation, with fans chanting “You suck!” at the other goaltender whenever he gives up a goal.

That identity was fortified by the great play of Rinne. He was the main character of the Predators’ best moments, and he was honored with a statue outside Bridgestone Arena. It’s great to see Rinne honored with a plaque in Toronto.