Saros Gaining Confidence, Shutting Out Opponents in Preds Net

There was a high degree of conviction within the Nashville Predators organization that the 0-3-0 record Juuse Saros possessed to begin the 2017-18 season was an anomaly.
Bad bounces, poor play in front of him - whatever the case, they were certain the 22-year-old goaltender, who had the role of backup to Pekka Rinne all to himself, had more to give.
Did he ever.

A 43-save shutout for Saros on Tuesday night over the Vegas Golden Knights - his third blanking of an opponent this season, and fourth spotless appearance, if you count his relief effort on Dec. 21 against Carolina - continued his tear seemingly every time he assumes the net the past two months.
In his last nine outings - eight of those starts - Saros has gone 5-0-3 with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage (that's really good), plus those three shutouts.
"I'm just trying to play my own game," Saros said following Tuesday's victory. "[I'm trying to not] think too much and to go out there, have fun and do the best I can."
Don't let the young Finn's humbleness fool you.

Tuesday's 43-save outing gave Saros the distinction of becoming the first goaltender in Predators franchise history to post multiple shutouts that required at least 40 saves to attain. The other 40-plus save effort from Saros came on Dec. 14 at Edmonton, a career-high, 46-save outing in a 4-0 win over the Oilers.
After those first few outings that didn't turn out so well, the Preds made the decision to send Saros back to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, to pick up some extra work. Once Saros came back to Nashville, oh how the tides began to turn.
But as the Predators entered their bye week on Jan. 9, instead of jetting off to an exotic locale, Saros went back to Milwaukee to face more pucks. That was the plan all along, as Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette revealed Tuesday, designed to keep the goaltender fresh for what would then be a start against the Golden Knights as the Preds returned from the break.
Don't you just love when a plan comes together?

"It was two-fold," Laviolette said of the itinerary for Saros. "One is to let him get game action and feel like, when he does come back here and play a game, that he hasn't been sitting for a long time because [Rinne] has been playing so well, and two is to continue his development.
"We picked out some pockets and everything was kind of planned out for the last couple months with regard to him. Even last night to come back and start, we were going to send him down and keep him fresh and play him in the first game out of the break. I feel like it's really helped him, not only with his development, but staying in game shape and staying sharp."
Almost a bit of a father figure to Saros, Rinne has been instrumental for his protege's development, always there with a word of advice, no matter the subject.
And for someone of Saros's stature - 5-foot-11, in an age where most NHL goaltenders are closer to Rinne's 6-foot-5 frame - the mentor continues to be amazed at how the mentee makes up for his lack of size between the pipes.
"He's very quick, so it gives him time to be patient, maybe a little bit more than some of the [other] guys," Rinne said of Saros "For a young guy, he reads the game really well. He knows where the players are… There's always traffic in the NHL and always guys and bodies in front of you, so he does a really good job finding the puck, which is the lifeline for him. There's always been doubts because of his size, and I don't think that's ever been an issue to him. He never thinks about it, so what he lacks in size, he makes up in a lot of different areas."

Just as there has been and continues to be a plan with Saros, Laviolette has also spoken about the plan in general as to how the Predators distribute starts among their goaltending duo. And as a rule of thumb, it's not necessarily based on how many pucks you keep out the night before.
"I think we've already stiffed a couple goalies who have gotten shutouts and planked them after they did get a shutout this year, so I guess we don't care much about that," Laviolette quipped.
So, while Saros may not get the nod night after night, he's ready when his name is called.
"I'm just very happy for him," Rinne said. "He continues to come to the rink with a smile on his face and he continues to put in the work. Right now, he's having success, so that's awesome to watch."