Maybe Pekka Rinne should just stop handling the puck (VIDEO)
Two weeks ago with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne couldn't handle the opposing forecheck, fumbled the puck away and gave up a gaffe-tastic goal against Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
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Yesterday in the KHL … well, just read the above paragraph and insert "SKA" as the opponent, because Rinne done goofed again:
That's Alexander Kucheryavenko scoring on the power play, as Rinne couldn't handle the puck, his penalty killers were apathetic to his plight, SKA stole the disc and Rinne had no clue where it ended up until it snapped the twine. SKA won the game, 4-1, as Rinne was outdueled by Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets (still sounds weird).
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The thing about Rinne we've heard from Preds fans during these puck-handling blunders is that they're the norm: That Rinne is one of those "close your eyes and hope for the best" type goalies when he leaves his crease.
Maybe that's been obscured by the defense in front of him or the defensive responsibility of Barry Trotz's system, but that flaw in his game never seems to be a point of national discourse; like it was for, say, Roman Cechmanek back in the day (a goalie who, though we never tested this theory, may actually have had feet where his hands should have been).
Eh, no big deal. He's a Vezina contender that can be a gong show outside of his net. It's not like the Predators are stuck with him for the next seven oh that's right they completely are.
