35 Pekka Rinne G

Predators' Pekka Rinne: Blown away by Jets in loss

For a second straight game, Rinne had five pucks evade him, and the Preds' starter now has lost his last three starts, allowing 13 over a 0-2-1 stretch. His record will fall to 17-12-3 with a 2.51 GAA and .913 save percentage, but since Dec. 1, Rinne has posted a 7-7-2 record with a 3.05 GAA and .894 save percentage in 17 appearances. With the Panthers in town Saturday, Nashville could give Rinne a rest and start Juuse Saros.

Predators' Pekka Rinne: Starting in goal Thursday

Chased early from his last start after allowing five goals on 20 shots, Rinne has struggled between the pipes in the last month. Since Dec. 22, Rinne has allowed at least four goals in five of his nine starts, posting just a 3.41 GAA and an .884 save percentage. It will be no walk in the park Thursday either, against a Jets club averaging 3.71 goals per game in January.

Predators' Pekka Rinne: Chased by Canes

While we could point to Rinne's overall record of 17-11-3 and say "everything's fine," one glaring fact remains -- this was the fifth time in his past nine starts in which Rinne has given up at least four goals in a game. If fatigue is starting to become a factor for the 36-year-old netminder, you could see backup Juuse Saros get a few more starts down the stretch if the team wants to keep Rinne fresh for the playoffs. In the meantime, the Preds' next game is at home Tuesday against the Capitals, so it will be interesting to see which puckstopper gets the starting nod for that matchup.

Predators' Pekka Rinne: Draws start in Carolina

Rinne is enduring a tough stretch, registering an .893 save percentage and 2.97 GAA over six games, winning three of those outings. He's in line for plenty of action since the Canes rank first in the league with 35.9 shots on goal per game, and they're heating up with six wins in their last seven, averaging 3.71 goals per contest in that span.

Predators' Pekka Rinne: Falls apart late

Rinne has allowed three or more goals in six of his last seven starts despite playing behind a Predators team that is starting to get key players back from injury. The 36-year-old could cede some more starts to countryman Juuse Saros down the stretch in a bid to stay fresh for the playoffs, though Saros is battling an illness at the moment. Regardless, the Finnish netminder has a 2.31 GAA and .919 save percentage behind a 17-10-3 record in 33 appearances, so keep playing him whenever he gets the call.