Preds Top 20, No. 9: Juuse Saros Shines at NHL All-Star Weekend

Revisiting the Top Moments and Milestones from the Predators 2022-23 Season

By Emma Lingan

Senior Content Manager & Beat Reporter

May 26, 2023

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 down to South Florida to continue our countdown at No. 9.

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As the Nashville Predators enjoyed a well-deserved break midway through the season, goaltender Juuse Saros headed to Sunrise, Fla., to represent the Preds at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game from Feb. 2-4.

It was the goaltender's 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.

The highlight of the weekend's festivities in Sunrise came on Friday night, when Saros and Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck set aside their in-season rivalry to capture a win for the Central Division in the inaugural Discover NHL Tendy Tandem competition at the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook.

The innovative netminding skills test was one of three new events at this year's skills competition. Eight goaltenders participated in the event, with one goalie from each division designated the shooting goalie and one the in-net goalie. The shooting goalies earned three points by scoring an ice-length goal through a cardboard five-hole and two points for hitting the net. The in-net goalies then faced rushes of three, two or one player(s), based on the number of points earned by the shooting goalie in their tandem.

Shooting goalie Saros scored one goal and hit the net once, and in-net goalie Hellebuyck stopped all five rushes he faced. The Central Division duo came out on top with 13 points, beating out the Pacific Division's Logan Thompson (Vegas Golden Knights) and Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers), who had 11 points.

THAT’S OUR STAR pic.twitter.com/04DoTTob9D
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 4, 2023

"It took a while to figure it out," said Saros, who missed wide of the net three times before sinking his three-point shot. "It was a little complicated at first when they explained it. But once we got the hang of it, it was fun."

Saros also felt confident in his shooting ability after watching former Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who famously scored in a 5-2 win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 9, 2020.

"I was just trying to remember how he used to do [it]," Saros said with a smile.

Just like Peks pic.twitter.com/q28ltVpwED
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 4, 2023

Saros went on to make 12 saves in Saturday's first semifinal game for the Central Division, which won for the second time in six games against the Pacific since the NHL adopted the current All-Star Game format in 2016.

A 6-4 win in the semifinal propelled Saros and the Central Division squad to the final, where they fell 7-5 to the ultimate champion Atlantic Division. Despite the loss, Saros returned to Nashville with new friendships and memories to last a lifetime.

"It was cool to see some new faces and nice to win the skills [challenge]," Saros said, smiling as he added, "I've got to keep practicing my shooting."