Juuse Saros Named Vezina Trophy Finalist

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Juuse Saros. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

Predators goaltender Juuse Saros has been named a finalist for the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy for his incredible performance on the ice this season.

This announcement comes a day after teammate Roman Josi was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy.

Saros had big shoes to fill after future Hall of Famer Pekka Rinne announced his retirement last season, but he did not disappoint, recording 38 of the Predators’ 45 wins, the highest percentage (84.4%) among all NHL goaltenders.

His skill was one of the biggest reasons the Predators made their eighth consecutive playoff berth. Saros led the NHL in appearances (67), all of them starts, and total ice time (3,931:23); ranked second overall in shots against (2,107) and saves (1,934); and third in wins. The 27-year-old also won three of his four shootout appearances, stopping 11 of 12 attempts for a .917 save percentage.

Saros (38-25-3, 2.64 GAA, .918 SV%, four shutouts) is a first-time Vezina Trophy finalist and joins Rinne as the second goalie in franchise history to be honored. Rinne was a four-time Vezina finalist, capturing the award in 2017-18, finishing second twice and third once.

Saros sustained an ankle injury in one of the last games of the regular season and was unable to play for Nashville during the playoffs.

The Calgary Flames’ Jacob Markstrom and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers join Saros as the other finalist for the trophy.

The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced later this month.

Predators Season Comes To An End With 5-3 Loss To Avalanche

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Roman Josi. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

Hockey season is over in Nashville as the Predators lose 5-3 to the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena on Monday night (May 9).

This is the first time in franchise history that the Preds have been swept in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I thought our guys played a good game tonight,” said head coach John Hynes at a postgame press conference. “It was right there, but [the Avalanche] ended up scoring. We talked about wanting to build off of Game 3 and getting a win here tonight, but unfortunately we weren’t able to do it. Our guys had a hard fought game, but unfortunately it didn’t go the way we wanted.”

The Preds played one of their best games all series, tying up the game 1-1 after the first period and again at 2-2 after the second period, both scored by Yakov Trenin. However, their fight for survival wasn’t enough as the Colorado Avalanche’s speedy offense and suffocating defense stifled any chance for a Preds lead.

The Preds took a 3-2 lead in the third period off of a Filip Forsberg goal, but it didn’t last for long. The Avalanche bounced back quick, scoring the equalizer and the eventual game-winning point. Norris Trophy Finalist Cale Makar played a brilliant game scoring one goal and assisting two goals, including the game-winner and the empty-netter.

“Obviously, we wanted more in the playoffs,” Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholmin said postgame. “If you look at the regular season, there were a lot of guys that performed really well and broke their personal highs. If you could look back at training camp, there weren’t many [who] thought we would be in a playoff position. We certainly did that and we’re really proud and happy over that, but once you get [to the playoffs], you want more.”

Back-up goaltender Connor Ingram had 33 saves last night for Nashville after starting in Games 2 and 3. Ingram was called up from the organization’s AHL affiliate right before the playoffs and replaced David Rittich early in Game 1 which the Preds went on to lose 7-2. All-star goalie Juuse Saros was ruled out for all four games after sustaining an injury in late April right before the postseason.

“At the end of the day [the Avalanche has] a hell of a team back there,” Ekholm added. “I think they’re going to give problems to a lot of teams coming down the stretch here. Again, they deserved to win. Four to nothing speaks loudly.”

The Preds finish the season with a record of 45-30-7 with 97 points. Though they have made the postseason in each of the last eight seasons, Nashville has failed to reach the second round of the playoffs the past four seasons.

The next big discussion for the Predators will be whether or not to resign Forsberg whose contract expires this summer. The organization has expressed wanting to keep Forsberg but no deal has been announced.

Roman Josi Named Finalist For Norris Trophy

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Nashville Predators’ defenseman Roman Josi has been named a finalist for the 2021-22 James Norris Memorial Trophy after a historic performance this season, the NHL announced.

Along with Josi, Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche are the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”

Josi became the NHL’s highest-scoring defenseman in 29 years, posting 23 goals, 73 assists and 96 points in 80 games to help the Predators make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. Only six defensemen in the past 50 years have surpassed Josi’s 96 points in a single campaign: Paul Coffey, Phil Housley, Brian Leetch, Al MacInnis, Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin.

Josi set career highs in goals, assists and points; broke the single-season Nashville franchise records among all positions for points and assists; recorded the most assists by any NHL defenseman since Sergei Zubov‘s 77 in 1993-94; and led all blueliners with 26 multi-point games. His 281 shots on goal were 41 more than the second-ranked defenseman in 2021-22, and his 59 even-strength points were the most since Ray Bourque‘s 59 in 1986-87.

Josi is a Norris finalist for the second time and won in 2019-20. The Predators captain made franchise history by becoming the first Nashville blueliner to bring the Norris to Music City.

The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.

The NFL will announce the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy on Tuesday, May 10.

Predators To Host ‘Party in the Park’ At Nashville Walk of Fame For Playoff Games

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Nashville Predators playoff watch party. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville Convention & Visitor Corp.

The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp will host “Preds Party in the Park” on Saturday (May 7) and Monday (May 9) for Games Three and Four of Round 1 of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Preds and Colorado Avalanche.

The viewing party for the home playoff games are hosted at the Music City Walk of Fame Park, which is located across Rep. John Lewis Way from Bridgestone Arena.

The parties are free and open to the public and give fans who don’t have tickets a chance to cheer on the team at Bridgestone Arena. Music City Walk of Fame Park will activate two hours prior to game time. A large video screen will show the game feed, and food and drink options will be available for purchase on site. DJ Robert Luke will provide entertainment and attendees are invited to bring blankets and chairs.

The viewing party for Game Three on Saturday opens at 1:30 p.m. with the puck dropping at 3:30 p.m. The viewing party for Game Four on Monday opens at 6:30 p.m. and puck drops at 8:30 p.m.

Colorado defeated the Predators in the first two games of the series. Nashville suffered a devastating 7-2 loss in Game One when the team started backup goaltender David Rittich and was forced to put in Connor Ingram. In Game Two, Ingram put on a legendary performance forcing the game into overtime before the Avalanche scored the game winning goal, winning 2-1. Ingram saved 49 shots but it wasn’t enough to even the series.

The Predators are 34-27 all-time when playing a postseason game at Bridgestone Arena.

Press Kit: The Preds To Face Avalanche, Saros Out For First Two Games

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Filip Forsberg and the Predators against the Colorado Avalanche. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

The Predators are back in the playoffs for the eighth straight season and are taking on the red hot Colorado Avalanche in the first round starting Tuesday, May 3 in Denver.

This series will be one of Nashville’s toughest over the past seasons taking on a Stanley Cup favorite in the Avalanche.

“We certainly belong in the playoffs,” said head coach John Hynes during a press conference. “We feel like we have a real strong identity, and we have some good experience with guys that have made some runs. We have a good amount of our younger guys that are in the lineup now and went through a pretty good playoff series against Carolina last year.”

Colorado had a fantastic season, finishing first in the Central Division and the Western Conference and second in the entire NHL.

The Preds, on the other hand, finished the in the last Wild Card spot with 97 points and in the month of April lost nine out of its last 15 games. They were able to snag a comeback 5-4 win over Colorado in the second-to-last game of the season.

Juuse Saros. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville Predators

A big factor for Nashville is not having star goaltender Juuse Saros for at least Games One and Two, the team announced on Monday (May 2).

“He’s doing his rehab, he’s working and he’s getting better,” said Hynes. “He’s around the team, he’s in all of our team meetings and he’s preparing himself mentally to make sure that when and if he’s ready, then he’s going to be ready to go… We’re just trying to do the best job we can to provide him with the opportunity to get better and he’s taken advantage of it.”

Without Saros, the Predators will have to use backups David Rittich or Connor Ingram for the first two games.

Rittich has played in 17 games this season, picking up six wins, three losses and four overtime losses. He sports a 3.57 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of 88.6 percent.

Ingram has spent most of his time with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, and has only played three games for the Preds, making his NHL debut on Oct. 24 against Minnesota. His record is 1-2 and has a GAA of 3.71 and save percentage of 87.9 percent.

These numbers are fair, but it will be difficult to overtake the Avalanche without Saros who had a GAA of 2.64 and a save percentage of 91.8 percentage in 67 games played.

Roman Josi. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

Offensively, the Predators have had one of their best seasons ever behind Norris Trophy favorite Roman Josi and leading scorer Matt Duchene. Josi had a historic season, scoring 96 points, the most ever scored in franchise history. He leads the team in assists with 73.

“The playoffs are always exciting,” Josi shared. “It’s a long regular season with a lot of tough games. That’s why we play so hard in the regular season, to get to this point.”

Duchene is having his best season as a Pred, scoring 43 goals which was eighth best in the NHL. He also had 43 assists and 86 points–the most he’s ever had throughout his 15 year career.

Colorado’s offense will be led by Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon who lead the team in points and goals. Rantanen leads the team with 92 points and 36 goals. MacKinnon has 88 points and 32 goals.

Another issue for the Preds is the fact that Colorado has a duel-goalie threat in both Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz.

Kuemper has played 57 games and sports a GAA of 2.54 and a 92.1 save percentage. Francouz has played 21 games and has a GAA of 2.55 and a 91.6 save percentage. Kuemper will most likely be tonight’s starter but having these two fantastic goaltender’s could be devastating to the Preds if their offense runs flat.

Tonight’s Game One will be a massive stress test for the Preds to see if their offense and defense can save them even with the absence of Saros. No announcement has been made regarding Saros’ availability for Game Three and on.

Preds vs. Avalanche NHL Playoffs Round One Schedule:
Game 1: Tuesday, May 3 at 8:30 p.m. – Predators at Avalanche, Ball Arena
Game 2: Thursday, May 5 at 8:30 p.m. – Predators at Avalanche, Ball Arena
Game 3: Saturday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. – Avalanche at Predators, Bridgestone Arena
Game 4: Monday, May 9 at 8:30 p.m. – Avalanche at Predators, Bridgestone Arena
*Game 5: Wednesday, May 11, TBD – Predators at Avalanche, Ball Arena
*Game 6: Friday, May 13, TBD – Avalanche at Predators, Bridgestone Arena
*Game 7: Sunday, May 15, TBD – Predators at Avalanche, Ball Arena
*If Necessary

Predators Clinch NHL Playoffs For Eighth Consecutive Season

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It wasn’t always pretty, but the Nashville Predators got the job done and are headed to the NHL Playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.

The Preds had a few opportunities to punch their ticket to the 2022 NHL Postseason, the easiest being to beat the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone on Tuesday night (April 26). However, a goal scored with 0.1 seconds left in the third period tied the game at 4-4. Nashville went on to a heartbreaking loss to Calgary, putting their playoff hopes on hold.

Fans and the team were forced to wait to see the results of the Las Vegas vs. Dallas game, as any Golden Knight loss would secure the Preds a spot in the playoffs. Las Vegas went on to lose in an extremely intense shootout, allowing Nashville to clinch the Playoff spot.

“I thought tonight was a high stakes game. It was very competitive by both teams,” said head coach John Hynes in a postgame press conference. “I think with what obviously happened with Dallas and Vegas, it’s a real tribute to our players. I think we certainly deserve to be in the playoffs after the way we played here and the way the guys battled. No one picked us to be here. We talked about writing our own story and having a strong team identity and a strong team culture along with a lot of talent.

“I think the guys deserve it,” Hynes summed. “They worked their butts off for 80 games to get here, so I’m really happy for our group.”

Though the Predators are back in the postseason, goaltender Juuse Saros sustained an injury with around 6:30 left in the game forcing the team to use backup David Rittich. Coach Hynes did not give any update on Saros or if he is seriously hurt.

The Preds sit in the first Wild Card spot with 95 points and Dallas sits in the second spot with 95 points. Nashville has two games left in the regular season against Colorado on Thursday (April 28) and Arizona on Friday (April 29).

Two wins could solidify the Preds in the top Wild Card spot, meaning they would play the Calgary Flames in the first round. If they wind up as the second Wild Card team, they will face the Colorado Avalanche who are the second best team in the league.

Single-game tickets for Round One of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs will go on sale this Thursday, April 28 at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.com.

Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki Nominated For Masterton Trophy

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Mark Borowiecki. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki has been named as Nashville’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his dedicated work on the ice.

The trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Borowiecki appeared in just 22 contests during his first season with Nashville which was cut short due to injury. This season, he’s bounced back to become a an important force for the Predators. During the 2021-22 season, Borowiecki played 54 games for the Predators offering devastating defense on the blue line. He fought through injury to earn himself a contract extension with Nashville where he lives with his wife and young son.

Borowiecki has been a champion of mental health awareness as well as making the game of hockey inclusive to everyone.

This is Borowiecki’s second career nomination for the Masterton Trophy; the first came in 2018 as a member of the Ottawa Senators. Former Predators forward Steve Sullivan won the award in 2009

Predators Head To Europe As Part Of NHL Global Series In 2022-23

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The National Hockey League is heading to Europe next season for the 2022 NHL Global Series and 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge, which will feature the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Predators will kick things off the 2022-23 regular season with a game against the Sharks in Prague, Czech Republic, at O2 Arena with games on Friday, Oct. 7 and again on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Prior to their games in Prague, the Predators and Sharks will complete their training camps in Europe and will each play in an exhibition match as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge. The Predators will report to Bern, Switzerland, and play an exhibition game against SC Bern at PostFinance Arena on Monday, Oct. 3. The Sharks will then report to Berlin, Germany, and play an exhibition game against Eisbären Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Tickets and VIP hospitality packages to the Oct. 7, and Oct. 8 NHL Global Series games between the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, will go on sale at 9 a.m. CT on Friday, April 29.

Tickets and VIP hospitality packages to the Oct. 3 NHL Global Series Challenge between the Nashville Predators and SC Bern at PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland, will go on sale on at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 19.

Next season’s NHL Global Series will mark the ninth season overall that the NHL has traveled to Europe to play regular-season games. These games reward the legions of loyal and passionate fans in Europe that enjoy live NHL games available via international broadcast and media partners.