WINNIPEG — Here are some hard numbers that don’t work for the Nashville Predators: 3.23 and .898.
Those are, respectively, Pekka Rinne’s goals-against average and save percentage in these playoffs, and they are simply not the kind of numbers that equate to a third round for the Predators.
“They will get better as soon as we get better in front of him,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said of Rinne’s numbers. “If you can go back to last game and tell me which one you’re really faulting Pekka Rinne on, then I’ll be happy to sit down and watch it with you. When we’re good in front of him, he’s a great goaltender.”
“It starts as a group. We never ever look at our goaltender,” agreed P.K. Subban. “When we’re allowing the goals, we’re allowing — it’s as a group. It’s not one specific individual. It’s all of us.”
Fair enough, but one thing we know about playoff hockey, the team with the better goalie almost always wins. So far, the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck has been better than Rinne:
Rinne has a 6-5 record with a 3.23 GAA, an .898 save percentage and one shutout. Hellebuyck is 7-3, with a 2.29 GAA, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts. It’s not close.
“Obviously, [Hellebuyck] is making some key, huge saves for us at key moments in games,” said Mathieiu Perreault. “That’s definitely a big difference for us. When your goalie makes a save, you got a chance to win every night. He’s giving us that chance this year, it’s probably been the biggest difference.”
Keep in mind, Vezina Trophy voting concludes before the post-season begins, but between these two Vezina finalists — Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy is the other — there’s no contest regarding who’s having a better post-season.
Ear splitting
As wild as the Bell MTS Centre will be tonight, these Jets have learned how not to get too amped up — even in this atmosphere.
“You get that out of your system early in the playoffs, where you let the crowd kind of control your emotion. You realize, it’s just noise,” said defenceman Ben Chiarot. “Same thing in away rinks: It’s just noise. They’re going to be loud the whole game, so you just block it out and play your game.”
C’mon, Ben. You’re telling us you don’t get chills when that crowd gets rolling?
“You enjoy it before the puck drops, the anthems, warmups,” he admitted. “Once the game goes on you block it out and pretend there is no one in the building. Stay calm, relaxed. It’s still a hockey game at the end of the day. Just a little louder.”
Shuffling the deck
It looks like the Predators will try to win this game with the same defensive posture that won them Game 4, inserting Scott Hartnell and Calle Jarnkrok and taking out Ryan Hartman and Miikka Salomaki.
“[Hartnell] is s a veteran player capable of scoring a goal, capable of handling a situation like this in this building, and elimination game. All those things, he’s been through before,” Laviolette said. “[Jarnkrok] is quietly effective offensively. He’s extremely effective defensively. He’s one of those players that thinks the game and can play any position. You truly appreciate him more after you’ve coached him.”
Meanwhile, Bryan Little was the only Jet to miss the morning skate. His status is unknown — coach Paul Maurice never lets on regarding injuries — but it’s likely that Matt Hendricks draws in if Little can’t go. Strangely, Little took the last shift of Game 5, so if he’s injured it’s a bit of a mystery.
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No Mo
The Predators are 6-6 all-time in Game 6’s, but 5-1 in their last six Game 6s, outscoring opponents 21-10. That’s the kind of stat that makes it easier to understand why no team has won two straight games in this series.
“There is no momentum in the playoffs. Each game is all in-game,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “When you have two teams like we have here in this series, what’s given each team success this year is being able to bounce back, fight for 60 minutes. There’s not going to be any quitting on either side. That’s what makes it a great series. That’s what makes the [Predators] a good team and a really tough opponent.”
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Paging Mr. Turris
Nashville has simply failed to match Winnipeg’s depth scoring. The Predators’ top trio of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson has been excellent, and Mike Fisher’s fourth line has comported itself well.
Laviolette needs more from Nick Bonino and Kyle Turris — ASAP.
Through 11 games, the handsomely paid Turris ($36-million extension, thank you) is still searching for his first post-season goal as a Predator. He was spotted pounding his right firt on the edge of the bench after nailing a post during a Grade-A chance in the first period of Saturday’s loss.
“We have to play better consistently, and I have to be a lot better,” Turris said. “In every way. In skating, in physicality, in battles. I’ve got to be a lot better.
“You don’t want to overthink the game. I’ve played the game for 20 years. You’ve just got to do what comes natural.”
Laviolette has tried him with Hartnell, Kevin Fiala and, for a time, even dropped down Forsberg to get his second-line centre going. Nothing’s worked.
“He and Fiala and [Craig] Smith were probably our most dangerous line last game. Fiala and Turris both hit the post and wished they had it back because they were pretty much empty nets,” Laviolette said. “For me, that’s the most I’ve noticed them in the offensive zone.”
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