On the Forecheck
Next entry: A new sherriff in town
Previous entry: Black Friday for the NHL?
Nashville Predators 1st Quarter Report: the goalies
by Forechecker on 11/26/08 at 03:30 PM ET
Comments (0)
Yesterday, the skaters got their review, so today let’s take a look at those Nashville goaltenders…
After having sent Chris Mason packing in order to free up salary and make room for Dan Ellis to assume the #1 job, Predators fans understood and accepted the gamble that GM David Poile was taking, but were somewhat nervous nonetheless. Only a short time ago Nashville boasted one of the top goaltenders in the entire NHL in Tomas Vokoun, and his departure in the Great Salary Purge was probably the cruelest blow among many that the team took in 2007. Fans had high hopes for Mason, but his 2007-8 season went poorly, and given the play of Ellis down the stretch, it became the logical choice to make room for the younger goalie to take over the top job, and still have a backup spot available for the developing Pekka Rinne. Clearing Mason’s $3 million salary also helped to retain the many RFA’s that signed long-term extensions to stick with the Preds.
So how are things going in the Nashville net?
| Actual | Pace | Forecast | Comment | |||||||||||
| Player | GP | W | L | GAA | Save Pct. | GP | W | L | GP | W | L | GAA | Save Pct. | |
| Dan Ellis | 19 | 8 | 9 | 2.90 | 0.898 | 74 | 31 | 35 | 60 | 30 | 27 | 2.45 | 0.914 | Heating up after cold start B |
| Pekka Rinne | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3.77 | 0.861 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 13 | 12 | 2.70 | 0.905 | 4 starts; 2 great, 2 lousy. C- |
Despite the numbers here, which today were noted by Mirtle as 26th in the NHL by team, you won’t find anyone around the team blaming goaltending for the team’s surprisingly high 3.14 Goals Against Average. Team defensive play was woeful during the early weeks of the season, leaving many wide-open scoring chances available that the goalies couldn’t be blamed for.
After that slow start, things have improved overall, and Ellis in particular has gone from average to very good; witness his Save Percentage of .873 in October and .917 in November, including standout efforts in San Jose (54 saves) and last night against St. Louis (17 saves, shutout). He’s starting to make a few of those eye-popping, can’t-believe-he-saved-us-there type of saves that every team hopes to get out of their #1 goalie as well:
Pekka Rinne, however, still has much to prove. In four starts so far, he’s been yanked from his first and last start (7 GA on 18 Shots), and played excellently in the other two (3 GA on 54 Shots). With Ellis playing well and apparently managing his weight, it looks like Rinne’s starts will come few and far between for the time being. He needs to be prepared, however, to provide solid work when called upon.
Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
Tags: Dan+Ellis, Pekka+Rinne,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
A pivotal Predators prospect: Colin Wilson
Canadian hockey team on the road to Nashville
Two recreational hockey players die on same night, at same rink
Calgary investor Brett Wilson to buy stake in the Nashville Predators
Preds enjoy a command performance
To buy or not to buy? That is the question…
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker.
As well as reading about hockey games, you can also find info about poker like which poker sites accept American Express or which are the best Canadian poker sites and also find the top rakeback sites at rakeback.net.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.