Preds Top 20, No. 10: Juuse Saros Sets Franchise Saves Record

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at theTop 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so we'll head back to the first week of the calendar year to continue our countdown at No. 10.

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On Jan. 5 at PNC Arena, Juuse Saros didn't just break the Predators franchise record for saves in a single game - he shattered it.

Saros made a whopping 64 saves in Nashville's 5-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, toppling the previous record of 54 set by Dan Ellis on Nov. 11, 2008. Saros' historic performance is tied for the third-most saves in a regular-season game in NHL history and the second-most in a regulation regular-season contest. (The NHL began tracking saves officially in 1955-56.)

Saros made 28 shots in the third period alone, and his 67 shots against were also the most in a game in Predators history. He smashed his previous career high of 49 saves in a single game, set on April 27, 2021.

Saros' 64 saves were also the most by any League goaltender since Ron Tugnutt made a record 70 on March 21, 1991 for Quebec. It was only fitting, then, that the NHL announced on ESPN in the middle of his historic performance that Saros had been named to the Central Division roster for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. It was Saros' second career nod to an NHL All-Star Game roster after he was chosen to represent the Predators in the 2022 edition in Las Vegas.

"He's our best player and that's why he was selected [for the All-Star Game]," then-Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said following the game in Carolina. "He shows it night in and night out… He's never been in a rut this year. I feel like he's been the one keeping us in the games, and even though we may have played poorly, he's been there to bail us out. So as a team you're very appreciative of having guys like that. In my career I had the fortune to play with [Pekka Rinne] for a long time, and now Juuse is stepping in and they're doing the same thing. He's our best player. That's the bottom line."

Mark Jankowski scored the game-winning goal for the Preds in the third period, but he was quick to give credit where it was due to Saros for keeping Nashville in the game and helping to secure the win.

"Juice was unbelievable," Jankowski said. "He's an All-Star for a reason. That was an unbelievable game by him... I don't know about the other guys, but I don't really look at the shot clock during the game. It felt like they were coming over the blue line and just shooting everything. Shots can go one way or the other, they can tell the story or they can't. But obviously, Juice played amazing and on their high-quality chances that they did get, he hung in there."

Worth a click:

No. 20: Cody Glass Makes the Team
No. 19: Roman Josi's Homecoming
No. 18: Perfect in Prague
No. 17: Return of the Mustard Cat
No. 16: Nashville's 900th Franchise Win
No. 15: Juuso Parssinen's NHL Debut
No. 14: David Poile Reaches 1,500 Wins
No. 13: Bridgestone Arena's 'Remarkable' Reopening
No. 12: Roman Josi Becomes Nashville's All-Time Leading Scorer
No. 11: Filip Forsberg Joins the 500-Point Club