'He's Our Best Player': Juuse Saros Exhibits Star Quality for Preds

On Thursday, Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros was named a 2023 NHL All-Star.
Later that night, he proved why.
Saros made a franchise-record 64 saves in Thursday's 5-3 win at Carolina. It was tied for the third-most saves in a regular-season game in NHL history, and was tied for the second-most in a regulation regular-season contest. (The NHL began tracking saves officially in 1955-56.) His 67 shots against were also the most in a game in Predators history.

His teammates whooped and hollered as they came off the ice at PNC Arena, slapping their goaltender on the back and spouting quips like "Someone get this man an IV!" as they filed into the visitors locker room. But to observe him after the win, selfless and humble as ever, you would never know Saros had just put on a record-breaking performance.
"Nice feeling," he said with a shrug and a soft smile when asked about his 64-save win the same night he was named to the Central Division's All-Star squad. "It was a sweaty night… but that's why we practice."

If Saros is reluctant to sing his own praises, his teammates certainly aren't. Win or lose, the Finnish netminder's value to this team is undeniable.
"He's our best player, and that's why he was selected [for the All-Star Game]," defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "He shows it night in and night out. I think we've played a lot better as of late as a team, but for that stretch where we were in a rut, he's never been in a rut this year. I feel like he's been the one keeping us in the games, and even though we may have played poorly, he's been there to bail us out. So as a team you're very appreciative of having guys like that."

Saros became the eighth Finnish-born goaltender in NHL history to reach 250 appearances on Tuesday vs. Montreal; he also became the first goaltender from the 2013 NHL Draft to reach the milestone. Saros' 128 wins are also the eighth-most among Finnish-born goaltenders in League history.
"Juice has played really well as of late," Head Coach John Hynes said. "He's really found his game. He's one of our top players, and he's playing like a top player right now. That's what you need from him. Goaltending gives you a chance to win every night, and he certainly provides that."
Not many NHL teams are fortunate enough to be able to call their goaltender one of their best players, and Saros' importance to this Predators squad is certainly not lost on his teammates.
"We've seen for the last couple years what he's been doing for us," forward Mikael Granlund said. "He gives us a chance to win every single night, so it's fun to play in front of him. He's a great goalie."

Saros is 11-4-4 with a 2.43 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in his last 18 games dating back to Nov. 12. He's made at least 30 saves in 11 of his last 19 games; he's faced at least 30 shots in 13 of those outings. Additionally, Saros owns a 15.82 goals saved above average (GSAA) since Nov. 12, the best mark in the League (per Natural Stat Trick). GSAA measures the goals a goalie prevented given his save percentage and shots faced vs. the NHL average save percentage on the same number of shots. Per Natural Stat Trick, Saros has made 232 high-danger saves this season, the third-most among League netminders.
"He's just been so good this season for us," Granlund said. "He's such a good goalie, and he keeps us in the game every single game. He's so humble, and he's such a great teammate. He loves the game. He thinks carefully. He's really a great player, a great teammate and a great friend."

The 2023 NHL All-Star Game, which will be broadcast live on ABC, is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., with the Skills Competition taking place the day before on Friday, Feb. 3 on ESPN. This marks Saros' second career nod to the NHL All-Star Game, after he represented Nashville at the 2022 edition in Las Vegas. He is the third goaltender in Predators history to represent the club at an NHL All-Star Game alongside Pekka Rinne (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019) and Tomas Vokoun (2004).
"In my career I had the fortune to play with [Rinne] for a long time, and now Juuse is stepping in and they're doing the same thing," Ekholm said. "He's our best player. That's the bottom line, and he deserves to go [to the All-Star Game]."