Finnish goaltender posts 56th shutout of career in win over Wild

It’s no secret the Nashville Predators have traditionally been built on strong defense and goaltending.

However, the 2019 Predators are anything but traditional. Since the free agent signing of Matt Duchene, Nashville has had the top offense in the NHL, leading the league with 4.20 goals per game.

The offense has had to score at a rapid rate because Nashville is surrendering 3.10 goals per game — the second-highest mark since the team’s inaugural season (3.18). In fact, aside from that first season, Nashville has never averaged more than three goals against per game in any season.

“Even in the Florida game, we played solid defensively and, for the most part, we have been doing a lot better job defensively,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “We have been outscoring (our opponents) and if we keep defending, I feel like we have enough skill to make things happen after that.”

While the defense has improved over the last three games, Rinne remains at the top of his game. The 36-year-old Finn ranks second in the league in wins (six) with the sixth-best save percent (.931) and fourth-best goals-against average (1.98).

With his 26-save shutout against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night — the 56th shutout of his career — Rinne has four straight starts with a save percentage of .933 or better. With his next shutout, Rinne will move into a three-way tie with Marc-Andre Fleury and Clint Benedict for 21st place on the league’s all-time shutout list. In seven starts this year, Rinne has given up two or fewer goals in all but one of them.

“I’m happy with a shutout,” Rinne said. “It’s not an everyday thing, so it feels good. After the first period, I thought that we grooved and played really solid. It was a solid two periods of hockey and that was enough tonight.”

The Predators defense allowed five goals or more in three of the first five games of the year. In the five games since, the defense has tightened up, allowing just 2.2 goals per game.

“He’s the man around here,” forward Colton Sissons said of Rinne. “We love playing in front of him. He works so hard, so every shutout he gets, he earns. It should be two in a row, honestly. He’s been great.”