Juuse Saros saves 64 shots as Nashville wins – Eeli Tolvanen extends scoring streak, Colorado suffers fifth straight loss

In the ice hockey league NHL, goaltender Juuse Saros ensures that the Nashville Predators are still in playoff contention. Another team that, somewhat surprisingly, is fighting for a playoff ticket is the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche.

Nashville Predators goalkeeper Juuse Saros conceded three goals against the Carolina Hurricanes, but was nevertheless the big talk of the NHL round.

It was more or less a game against a goal. Carolina won the shots on goal by a crushing 67-25, but Nashville took home the game by the numbers 5-3.

Saros thus saved 64 out of 67 shots and, despite his three conceded goals, had an excellent save percentage of 95.5.

Getting in the way of so many pucks is not exactly the norm – in NHL history, only Ron Tugnutt (70 saves in 1991) and Mario Lessard (65 saves in 1981) have been recorded for more saves.

After a slightly lackluster start to the season, Saros has played himself up and impressed a lot lately. In the last ten games, the balance is 93.7 in save percentage and 2.26 goals conceded per game. Nashville now has 40 points in 37 games and is in contention for a playoff spot.

Carolina led the game 1–0, 2–1 and 3–2, but Nashville scored the final three goals of the game. Mark Jankowski was responsible for the 3-4 victory goal when 45.06 had been played and Colton Sissons punctuated the game in the final seconds with the 3-5 goal.

Nashville’s two other Finns were involved in the three tying goals. Juuso Pärssinen played until 1–1 and 2–2, while Mikael Granlund got an assist for 3–3.

In Carolina, new acquisition Max Pacioretty made his season debut after his long injury absence. Pacioretty played along with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Derek Stepan in the fourth chain, which, however, combed zero in the offense.

– We played a good game, says Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour about the team effort on the NHL website.

– If you shoot 67 times on goal, you will win the match. Juuse Saros deserves credit. He stood squarely on his head.

Eeli Tolvanen averages one point per game

Forward Eeli Tolvanen left Nashville a month ago to play in the Seattle Kraken. The Finn, who initially had to sit in the stands, was in the lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third time in a row.

Tolvanen scored the match’s first goal when 27.02 had been played. In the power play Tolvanen took a direct shot and Matt Murray in Toronto’s goal had no chance. Seattle won the game 5–1 for their third straight win.

In the first period, Toronto was 8–0 in shots on goal before Daniel Sprong blew up Seattle’s clean sheet in the twelfth minute.

– Considering how well we played in the first period, we should have been rewarded and taken control of the game, says Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe on the NHL website.

Tolvanen has scored in all three games for Seattle and the balance in the new club is written 2+1=3. The Finn plays in the third chain together with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde. In addition, he is part of the second power play five, which receives almost as much responsibility as the first.

Fifth straight loss for Colorado

The reigning champions Colorado Avalanche are struggling despite first-choice center Nathan MacKinnon returning from a month-long injury layoff.

The Vancouver Canucks defeated Colorado 4–2 and for Colorado the loss was the fifth in a row. The team last lost five games in a row in autumn 2019.

Artturi Lehkonen played up to Mikko Rantanen’s 1–0 goal late in the first period and Samuel Girard extended Colorado’s lead to 2–0 early in the second period.

In just over two minutes in the second period, Vancouver turned 0-2 into 3-2 and at the end JT Miller was able to put the nail in the coffin with his 4-2 goal in an empty cage.

– When you play well in the first period and then take a 2-0 lead in the second, you have to play simply and find a way to win, says Rantanen on the NHL website.

Colorado’s lackluster start to the season can be partly explained by major injury problems. On the injury list, there are still tone-setting players in forwards Gabriel Landeskog, Valeriy Nityushkin and Evan Rodrigues and backs Bowen Byram and Josh Manson.

Against Vancouver, the stars were again closely matched as MacKinnon and Rantanen played for almost 26 minutes. Rantanen has had to pull a heavy load lately and has gone up as ice time number one among the forwards in the league.

Results

Toronto–Seattle 1–5
SEA: Eeli Tolvanen 1+0, +1, 10.43

Montreal–NY Rangers 1–4
MTL: Joel Armia 1+0, +/- 0, 15.30
NEW: Kaapo Kakko 0+0, +/- 0, 18.14

Carolina–Nashville 3–5
CAR: Sebastian Aho 0+0, -2, 20.57
CAR: Jesperi Kotkaniemi 0+0, +/- 0, 12.35
CAR: Teuvo Teräväinen 0+1, -1, 13.45
NSH: Mikael Granlund 0+1, +2, 19.13
NSH: Juuso Pärssinen 0+2, +/- 0, 14.27
NSH: Juuse Saros 64/67 saves

Columbus–Washington 2–6
CBJ: Patrik Laine 0+0, -1, 19.00

New Jersey–St. Louis 3–5
NJD: Erik Haula 0+1, -1, 20.30
STL: Niko Mikkola 0+0, +2, 20.3

Philadelphia–Arizona 6–2
PHI: Rasmus Ristolainen 0+0, -1, 17.27
ARI: Juuso Välimäki 0+0, -1, 17.13

Edmonton–NY Islanders 4–2
EDM: Markus Niemeläinen 0+0, +/- 0, 3.06
EDM: Jesse Puljujärvi 0+0, -1, 9.01
NYI: Aatu Räty 0+0, +/- 0, 7.29

Vancouver–Colorado 4–2
COL: Artturi Lehkonen 0+1, -1, 23.14
COL: Mikko Rantanen 1+0, -1, 25.57

Vegas–Pittsburgh 5–2
PIT: Kasperi Kapanen 0+0, -1, 14.39

Los Angeles–Boston 2–5
LAK: Rasmus Kupari 0+0, +/- 0, 8.55