Nashville Predators never doubted Pekka Rinne for a single moment –NHL Playoffs Update
Just a day before Game 3 of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Western Conference Playoff Semi-Finals, Nashville Predators continued to express hope in their veteran goalie, Pekka Rinne, who bounced back and dominated the scene, shutting out
Phoenix Coyotes, 2-0, for the win.
The Wednesday night, May 2nd matchup was intense for Nashville as the series was at the Bridgestone Arena in Tennessee and Predators could have been possible put on the verge of elimination being down 2-0 in the series.
Rinne showed himself to be a solid goalie and blocked 32 shots, completely shutting down the Phoenix offensive attack and giving Nashville a much needed win and a guarantee that the series would be at least five games long.
Giving away nine goals in the first two games, which were more than the amount he gave to Detroit Red Wings in the quarterfinals, was certainly depressing for Rinne, but knowing that his team was behind him, the goalie surpassed all expectations.
"It's two games, nine goals against, it's rough, but at the same time you try to stay honest to yourself," Rinne said. "For sure, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I always want to help my team win the game. I want to be able to make a little bit of difference
in the game. Now, I haven't been able to do that in the first two games. For sure, it's something I want to be better at, but also it always goes hand in hand.”
There were a number of top-notch chances for Phoenix to score and get back in the matchup along with a five-on-three matchup for 41 seconds as Nashville had two players in the penalty box.
"It could've changed on that 5-on-3," Predators coach, Barry Trotz, said of the series' intensity. "They score two goals and we could be playing for a couple of hours here."
With a goals-against average of 2.20, save percentage of .929 and a huge boost of confidence now, now only are the Predators confident in their team but Pekka Rinne is also feeling great knowing that shutting out Phoenix is something he is certainly able
to do.
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