This is a multi-part series where we countdown our Top 15 moments of the Nashville Predators’ 2010-11 season.
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#11 :: PEKKA RINNE ROBS COREY PERRY IN GAME 5
Remember that one time (*cough* *cough* *foreshadow* *cough*) when Jerred Smithson scored the biggest goal in Nashville Predators franchise history by wristing a shot past Ray Emery in overtime of Game 5 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals? That moment probably never happens without this one. With the Anaheim Ducks buzzing and the Preds scrambling, Bobby Ryan picked off a Ryan Suter clearing attempt. Ryan Getzlaf then brought it around from behind the net and dished a pass to Corey Perry. An exhausted Smithson and Suter had left the 50-goal scorer all alone in front of their netminder and, as a result, he tried to make them pay by tucking a shot under the crossbar. But, instead of tying the game at one, Pekka Rinne snatched it out of mid-air with authority to keep the 1-0 lead in tact. If you’ve every played this game before — especially in goal — you know how hard it is to make this kind of save, from that close of range, against a talented shooter. No multiply that by 50 and you’ve got the difficulty of this glove save by our very own Vezina Trophy candidate Pekka Rinne. And if you’ve never played this game, just look at Perry’s reaction to the save. It tells you all you need to know. What a save.
