Nashville rides hot goalie to Cup final

Rinne stands tall in playoffs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Knocking the smile off Pekka Rinne’s face right now is nearly impossible.

The longest-tenured player with the Nashville Predators, the 34-year-old goaltender finally will play in his first Stanley Cup final in his ninth full NHL season.

“As a player, I feel like I’ve had a fairly long career and never had this opportunity,” Rinne said.

“So very fortunate and really appreciate this opportunity.

“I guess as a player you just enjoy being in this position. Enjoy the chance that you get, and you put your body on the line every night and give everything you have.”

Teammates call the 6foot-5 Finn the backbone of the Predators, and he likely is the best goalie in the world at the moment when it comes to making saves.

As a bonus, he handles the puck like an extra defenseman.

He foils the dump-andchase efforts of opponents. And, oh, is he good in front of the net, aggressive with forwards in the crease, seeing seemingly everything and occasionally making saves with a Dominik Hasek-like contortion.

Not only is Rinne a playoff-best 12-4, his .945 save percentage ranks third all time for a single postseason behind a pair of Conn Smythe Trophy winners in Jean-Sebastien Giguere for Anaheim in 2003 and Jonathan Quick for Los Angeles in 2012, according to HockeyReference.com. Rinne’s 1.70 goals-against average is 10th all time for one postseason.

“What he does every night, you can’t put into words,” Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said.

The 19-year-old franchise has reached its first Stanley Cup final behind Rinne’s standout performances.

After Nashville ousted Anaheim in six games Monday night, Rinne’s statistics proved he is particularly stingy on home ice with a 7-1 record, 1.54 GAA and .947 save percentage.

“Anytime you need to close a series out, you know that as a goalie you got to be good and as a team you got to be good,” Rinne said.

And he has been just that.