It was a big night for past and present netminders in this February win over the Dallas Stars.
February 24, 2022 is a night that will live forever in the hearts of Nashville Predators fans, and not just because the Preds pulled out a shootout win over Central Division rival Dallas Stars. Emotions were running high at Bridgestone Arena before the puck dropped as fans watched beloved Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne's number 35 retired to the rafters.
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Rinne's return to Nashville along with appearances from former Predators Jordan Tootoo and Shea Weber, an emotional speech by Rinne, and with the upcoming Stadium Series game on the weekend elevated the energy in Bridgestone Arena on that Thursday night. After warming up in matching "35" jerseys, the Predators were ready to get down to business against the Stars.
Rinne's heir and close friend Juuse Saros got the start in net for the Predators while Jake Oettinger, a goalie making a name for himself in his first NHL season, started for the Stars.
It took less than a minute for the emotion to spill over onto the ice as Tanner Jeannot and Radek Faksa engaged in early fisticuffs setting the tone for another contentious evening between the two teams. Bridgestone Arena gave voice to lingering bitterness with former Predators defenseman Ryan Suter who received a chorus of boos each time he touched the puck for the Stars.
The youth produced the minimal offense in regulation. Phil Tomasino opened the scoring at 11:56 in the first period giving the Preds a 1-0 lead. Tomasino's goal was set up by a decisive and accurate cross ice pass in the neutral zone by Dante Fabbro and Tomasino's path cleared in front of the net thanks to solid positioning by Colton Sissons.
Jason Robertson added to his breakout season for the Stars, tying the game at 1:21 in the second period as he slipped the puck past Saros.
Dallas tried to capitalize on an offensive push in the third, doubling Nashville's shot attempts in the last twenty minutes, but the game headed to overtime. Juuse Saros kept the Predators in the game by making several crucial 2-on-1 saves and stopping rebound chances.
Neither goaltender surrendered space in the first three rounds of the shootout, but finally Mikael Granlund scored with a sneaky shot on Oettinger. Saros sealed the win with a stop on Jacob Peterson, and Predators fans went home thankful for the franchise's former and feature goalies.
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What This Game Revealed About the Predators
This was an important win for Saros whose performances earlier in the season earned him a trip to the All Star game but who was struggling to get his groove back in net after the All Star game. Prior to this win against Dallas, Saros was 0-4 in his starts since the break, allowing 18 goals. Saros would go on to be named a Venzina Trophy finalist for his 2021-2022 season of work.
The win was the perfect punctuation to an emotional night for Predators fans who gathered to celebrate Pekka Rinne and got to revel in a win over the often loathed Central Division rival Stars.