Rinne and Calgary
On the final leg of the road trip, Rinne extinguished the Flames for his third shutout of the season. He stopped all 32 shots that he faced, and kept the Predators in a game that was much tighter than the 2-0 score suggested. Flames like Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are among the best scorers in the league. Despite their skills, the two could only muster a combined three shots on Rinne.
Many of the Flames’ 32 shots came from low-danger areas, making Rinne’s night easier than the 32 shots suggest.
Rinne’s shutout was most impressive because of the flow of the game. Saros said his 46 save shutout was easy, because the shots were constant, and he was able to just get into the flow of the game. Rinne’s 32 save shutout came mostly in the first and third period, leaving gaps in between rushes and bursts of shots. Times like those, when goalies are out of the action for a few minutes at a time, can prove deadly.
Despite the lack of action at times, Rinne was stellar, and once again made his case for age just being a number. Rinne controlled his rebounds, a problem that often plagues him, and left the Flames with few extra chances.