The goalies are slowly adjusting to this, combating the traffic by playing every shot from the point as if it was going to get through no matter what. He doesn’t just read the first shot, but he seems to know where the second and third chance is going to come from.Īnd let’s face the facts scoring is up due to traffic in front of the net, forwards driving to the goal and because pucks are being thrown at the net from every angle conceivable to man. I’m talking about this intrinsic mental focus of tracking a puck seamlessly through traffic, deflections and flurries right around his crease. And I’m not talking about those simple back-door plays or the wacky moves a shooter pulls in the shootout. Secondly, Rinne has a strong ability to read plays, especially for his lack of NHL experience. It forces a moment of hesitation, as players never know when Rinne is going to jump out and attack them. This aspect of his game seems like nervousness at first, but at a closer look you can see how just how effective it can be.įirst of all, active gloves and stick causes the shooter to have difficulty reading and reacting. He uses the goal stick more than any other NHL goalie, mainly to deflect cross-crease passes, poke-check unaware forwards and most importantly, to take away passing lanes and options for forwards playing behind his net and goal line. Rinne has extremely strong, active and quick hands. But aside from the stats, great size at 6-foot-4 and Dobber’s prophecies, there’s another aspect of Rinne’s game that separates him from the entire class of young NHL goaltenders. Go ask Michael Leighton or Steve Mason what it takes to be successful in that first NHL stint and they will all say “adjusting to the speed” in some way or form. On the surface, it was Rinne’s sponge-like ability to soak up the game during October and November and then use it as a catalyst for this current 3-0 streak. His play has the Predators on a roll with four wins in five games and not only is Nashville getting balanced scoring and taking fewer penalties, but the defensemen are also blocking a ton of shots. The three straight wins is part of an impressive 6-0-0 record, 2.25 goals against average and. He rattled off a pair of shutouts last week against Minnesota and Buffalo and added a 3-2 win over Colorado to boot. Sure enough, Mason was traded to the Blues after the 2007-08 regular season and Rinne had no problem securing a roster spot alongside Dan Ellis.Īnd while Rinne’s first outing of the season was a forgettable night, since then he has gone on quite a hot streak. With this run came plenty of interest from Nashville, thus making Chris Mason expendable. In 29 games total that season, Rinne went 15-7-6 with a 2.34 GAA and. To be attacked and roughed up by deranged thugs is one thing, but to push the reset button and return to the AHL stronger and better than ever (in just four months) is quite another. This baffling turn of events forced off-season shoulder surgery, which resulted in Rinne missing the start of the 2006-07 AHL season. But during an off-season in the summer of 2006 in Finland, he was suspiciously roughed up by some unknown native assailants. By 2005 Rinne had progressed to the AHL, earning a chance with the Milwaukee Admirals. Rinne’s game developed like many of Finland’s finest shaped and formed slowly over time. Rinne learned important facets of the position as a backup to Niklas Backstrom in 2003-04 for Karpat. This warrior is the real deal, blessed with something special – the gift of absorption. All hail Finland’s Pekka Rinne, the amalgamation of all the necessary ingredients needed to succeed at the NHL level. But today there is a real reason to breathe freely. It’s an unbearable, amorphic world out there, one where we are left gasping for fresh air, a change, a quick shot of oxygen. And sometimes they don’t even last for an entire week.
The other is Inconsistency, representing the mental toughness component, along with the notion that “hot streaks” or “crease takeovers” don’t last very long.
One of them, Injury, represents the physical component of the position, along with the notion that anyone can fall victim to the dreaded IR list. Like giant glowing moons, the two ominous I’s of goaltending linger and sulk in the night sky. Fantasy Hockey Guide Immediate download!.
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