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This Just In… Pekka Rinne Is On Fire

NEWS FLASH!!! Pekka Rinne is the best goalie in fake hockey, what else is new? Any smart fantasy owner knows that a pair of good starting goalies can propel your team to fantasy glory and Rinne is no exception. The proof is in the Finnish pudding.

By sportsbyjack
USA TODAY Sports

After stopping all 19 of the shots he faced on Thursday night's 3-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes, Rinne now has back to back shutouts and has three in his last four games. When you consider the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks, still yet to lose in regulation time, were the only team to pierce Rinne's armour over that span, it's obvious the man is a brick wall. To be precise, Rinne hasn't allowed a goal in 137 minutes and 40 seconds.

Although turning away 19 shots isn't a very busy night for any goaltender, the Predators didn't give their star goaltender any goals to work with until early in the third period. Don't let the lack of offense fool you though, because Rinne racked up a career best 43 wins last season and although he's not quite winning at the same pace this year, he could very well be the only goalie in the league this year to start 40 games, and the Preds will no doubt finish in the top half of the Western Conference, meaning that he'll get his share of victories with or without much goal support.

The Predators finish the week on Saturday, when they host the rolling Anaheim Ducks. In their only other meeting back on January 26th, the Ducks managed squeeze out a 3-2 shootout victory. With a slightly older rookie Victor Fasth still an undefeated 6-0 to start his career, there's a chance we'll see yet another shutout featuring the Predators. As for which goalie ends up on the winning side of that? Well, that remains to be seen.

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