Rinne, Josi Relish All-Star Experience to Represent Preds

They didn't come away with the ultimate prize, but of all the NHL All-Stars in San Jose this weekend, Pekka Rinne and Roman Josi still shone brighter than most.
The Central Division won their semifinal matchup, but ultimately fell in the final contest of the 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend to the Metropolitan Division with Nashville's representatives still making their mark on the day.
Josi finished with a total of six points through two games, and in a 3-on-3 affair that can be torturous for goaltenders, Rinne made 14 stops in total for one of the top showings by a netminder in the tournament.

"It was a lot of fun," Josi said of the experience. "It was kind of two opposite games - the first one, we were up quick, and this one we were down quick, but it was a lot of fun, a great experience."
"The greatest thing is seeing the other players, and you don't really get to do these kind of things otherwise," Rinne said. "Just to showcase our great players [around the League], it's fun to be a part of it."
In the first contest, Josi co-led the Central with four points - a goal and three assists - and Rinne stopped eight of nine shots he faced through 10 minutes of play in a 10-4 victory. Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche had a hat trick, while Mikko Rantanen of the Avs and Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks each had a pair of tallies in the win.

Josi added another pair of helpers in the final, while Rinne turned aside six shots as he appeared in the second half of the match in a 10-5 result.
Other than the game itself, the weekend served as an opportunity for Rinne to interact with some of the next generation of fellow Finnish players like Rantanen, Sebastian Aho of the Hurricanes and Miro Heiskanen of the Stars. That, plus the chance to spend time with a fellow Nashvillian.
"Coming here with my teammate Roman Josi, that's standing out to me," Rinne said. "We were here representing our team also, so it's an honor."
For Josi, being on this stage with a goaltender who means so much to the Predators organization - and the League, for that matter - than just someone who stops pucks is something he doesn't take lightly.
"Everything Peks has done for Nashville, for the organization, for the community there, he's such a legend in Nashville and one of the greatest guys you could ever meet," Josi said. "We've become really good friends the past few years we've been playing together, and to be here with a guy like him is awesome for me and a huge honor."
From here, the Predators will enjoy a few, well-earned days off before returning to Nashville to prepare for the final two full months of the regular season as the playoff push heats up.
After all, it'll be April soon enough.
"We've been a little bit inconsistent the last little while, but there's been a stretch of games before going into the break where I felt that we were playing pretty strong hockey," Rinne said. "I hope that we can continue that and keep on building on that."