NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Just hours after the Nashville Predators’ season ended by way of a Colorado Avalanche sweep, a player they could have used in this series is now being recognized as one of the league’s best.
Preds goalie Juuse Saros was named a finalist for the Vezina trophy.
The award given to the NHL’s top goaltender will be decided between Saros, Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom and Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin.
Saros put up a stellar performance in his first season as the starter following the retirement of Pekka Rinne. Due to a lower-body injury, Saros was unavailable for the Preds first-round playoff series with the Avs.
Nashville was swept for the first time in franchise history and were outscored 21 to 9.
Saros recorded 38 of the Predators’ 45 wins this season, which is the highest percentage among all NHL goaltenders with 84.4 percent.
The 27-year-old is a first-time Vezina finalist and joins Rinne as the second goalie in franchise history to be honored. Rinne was a four-time finalist and won the award in the 2017-18 season.