Pekka Rinne is just two seasons removed from winning his first Vezina Trophy. It was his 4th appearance in the top three for Vezina voting, so it seemed to affirm what everyone already knew; Rinne is a top goalie in the league.
Unfortunately, two years later Rinne seems to be a shadow of himself. The shortened 2019-20 campaign marked the first full season in which Rinne posted a sub .900 save percentage (0.895), and also the first time his goals against average has been above 3 (3.17).
A staple in the Nashville Predators crease for what seems like ever, it feels nearly unthinkable that Juuse Saros would take over the starting job. On Sunday, that’s exactly what happened.
In a move that feels like a changing of the guard, Rinne’s 89-game streak of playoff starts with one team came to an end (it began in 2010). Considering there are only 82 games in a full NHL season, the fact he was able to top that in playoff affairs is a testament to his dominance in the crease.
The 89-game streak sits him at 4th on the all-time list for goalies, trailing one of the most legendary trios in recent decades in Martin Brodeur (194), Patrick Roy (133), and Henrik Lundqvist (128).
Congrats, Pekka! He wasn't the only one to have a streak snapped.
Both the Bruins and the Preds lost their opening games.
(H/T NHL.com)
