Rinne, Predators looking to bounce back in Game 4 against Avalanche
Goalie pulled after allowing four goals in loss
"I did watch the tape, but my game was pretty short, so it went by quick," Rinne said with a laugh following Nashville's spirited, gritty practice.
The Predators' No. 1 goalie played 24:35 against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round on Monday, allowing four goals on 15 shots before he was lifted in a 5-3 Nashville loss. After practice, Predators coach Peter Laviolette called the first 20 minutes of Game 3 "probably one of the ugliest periods we've played in a while."
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But by Tuesday Rinne could smile, with Nashville leading the best-of-7 series 2-1 entering Game 4 on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, FS-TN, ALT, SN, TVAS).
"That's the best part of the playoffs," Rinne said. "This is a totally new day, a new game and we're still in a good spot in the series. For sure [Monday] was a disappointing night for all of us. We need to bounce back, and myself too."
Rinne, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL's top goalie, went 42-13-4 during the Predators' Presidents' Cup-winning season. Only four times did he lose back-to-back games, often showing an ability to rebound from defeat. Following a regulation loss this season, Rinne had stretches of winning two, four, five, two, eight and 11 games.
"I don't have concern about the bounce-back factor for [Rinne]. Or for anybody in the room," Laviolette said. "I think the goaltender takes it on even more, right? That's the last line of defense and that shouldn't be the case. The first line and the second line, the forwards and defense, needed to be better (Monday). But in the end, there are positions in sports where you feel a little bit more responsible -- a quarterback in football, a pitcher… a goaltender probably fits into that category.
"Nobody feels good in the room and [Rinne] is no different. He's a competitive guy. If we could have played (Tuesday) at noontime, they all probably would have wanted to play right away, just get back out there. That's just the nature of competitive people."
The Predators defensemen, to a man, heaped blame on themselves for Rinne being lit up by the Avalanche, who swarmed the Nashville end from the opening face-off.
"We gave them way too many chances," said Roman Josi, who was minus-3 in the game. "We have to be lot better in front of him. All the goals they scored were pretty much right in front of him. We've talked about that, especially us as a D-corps."
Rinne laughed when told that his defensemen were throwing themselves under the bus for Game 3.
"It was one of those things," he said. "Pucks seemed to find the net. It was frustrating. I'm feeling really good, I'm not blaming my teammates, they always do their best, it was just one of those nights. A couple of unfortunate plays, one breakaway off a very strong backcheck, things like that. It's in the past now. Obviously, hopefully [Game 4] is a good bounce-back game for all of us."
Laviolette's practice was as energetic as you'll see during the playoffs, when rest is emphasized, skates between games are often optional and work focuses on the fine points.
The Predators were banging and grinding for about 40 minutes, a high-intensity, up-tempo practice following a disappointing effort in a game that could have put the Predators one win from advancing.
"I think it's always good to go out and break a sweat and do things on the ice," Laviolette said. "It's a way to transition from one day to the next, put something behind you. We had some meetings this morning, went over some things. To go out and work on some things, move around, I always think that's a positive.
"There are some things we addressed. We just have to be better in a lot of areas, not to get into specifics. Certainly, there's room for improvement. We play every other day, so we know we have a chance to fix things, get a sweat today and move forward."
Rinne had already turned the page, saying Game 3 "stings a little bit but it's behind me.
"There's confidence in this locker room. We always try to play for each other, it's an accountability thing. We can talk all day long, but we have to come out [Wednesday] and be ready. It starts mentally, have a good start and go from there. I have no doubt in my head that we're going to have a strong game."
