Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Lasse Kukkonen making his presence felt

Flyers defenseman Lasse Kukkonen played another strong game last night in a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders in Philadelphia. Kukkonen, one of the top defenseman in Finland before he made the jump to the NHL, has returned to the lineup following an injury to defenseman Matt Carle and has impressed Flyers head coach John Stevens with his poised play with the puck. The Flyers are home for the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.


Posted on Wed, Dec. 10, 2008

Kukkonen strengthens his case

Sam Carchidi

Thrust into the lineup because of a back injury to Matt Carle, Lasse Kukkonen has given a strong account of himself on the third defensive pairing.

"He's been tremendous," coach John Stevens said before last night's game against the Islanders.

"He seems to create offensive opportunities for our team, and he doesn't get [many] scoring-chances-against when he's on the ice."

Kukkonen, 27, played in his fourth straight game last night and was paired with Luca Sbisa early in the contest. He had been a healthy scratch in 11 of the first 22 games.

"He pushes the pace in practice every day and has great enthusiasm," Stevens said. "He kind of sets the example for the guys who are out of your lineup - that if you do the extra work and stay ready, you can come in and be a good player."

Sitting out so often "is tough mentally, but at the same time, there are so many things in this business that you can't control," Kukkonen said. "You can't control your ice time or whether you're going to play or not. All you can do is try to be ready and try to be in shape."

Kukkonen is a lame duck of sorts. Having already cleared waivers, he probably will be sent to the Phantoms when Carle and Randy Jones (hip) return from injuries. Both could be in the lineup by Tuesday.

"Those things pop in your mind once in a while, but you have to put it behind you," Kukkonen said. "If something happens, it happens. I just try to do my job when I get my chance."

Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stops 37 shots in a 4-3 OT win over Medicine Hat

Lethbridge goaltender Juha Metsola saved 37 of 40 shots last night as the Hurricanes won their 7th game in a row. Metsola is now tied for 5th in save percentage (.909) and 9th in goals-against-average (2.69) in the WHL. Juha and the Hurricanes take on Kamloops tonight at the Enmax Centre.

Pekka Rinne records his second shutout in a week

Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne stopped all 32 shots he faced last night in a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Wild, and improved his record to 6-0. This was Rinne's second shutout in his last three starts. Goaltender Dan Ellis was initially slated to start, but was scratched due to a injury during practice. Pekka answered the call and has now save 81 of the last 83 shots he has faced; his 2 shutouts are tied for 3rd in the NHL. Rinne will get his 4th consecutive start in net when the Predators travel to St. Louis Tuesday night.


Preds' Rinne just cares about wins

David Boclair, dboclair@nashvillecitypaper.com
Posted: Friday, December 5, 2008 10:29 pm

Pekka Rinne is a bottom-line kind of goalie.

The Nashville Predators’ 6-foot-5 rookie measures his success by one statistic – wins. In that regard, he has been perfect this season.

“That’s the biggest stat for me – wins,” Rinne said. “Obviously, it doesn’t hurt me to get a couple of wins. That means I might get a few more games.

“That’s the only goal for the whole team – to get the ‘W.’”

Rinne made just 19 saves in defeating Colorado, his fewest in a victory this season. He also never let the Avalanche score a go-ahead goal, which was decidedly different than some of his previous performances.

Rinne’s first career shutout, Monday at Buffalo, earned him the right to play against Colorado. He also defeated Atlanta 4-3 on Nov. 28 – another game in which the Predators never trailed – and thus has been in the nets for the team’s last three victories.

Prior to this season the 2004 eighth-round draft choice had appeared in a just three NHL games total and had a 1-1 record.

“I’ve played a few games now in a row and things start to feel pretty normal,” he said. “I’m kind of getting used to NHL speed and NHL skill level and stuff like that.”

“Between (Rinne) and (Ellis) I think our goaltending is lining up very well,” Trotz said. “The ratio is really good right now – Ellis is getting probably two-thirds of the games. That sets us up real well for from now hopefully until the end of the season.”

“Pekka does what he does,” Trotz said. “He seals the ice. He’s a big body. He’s got great instincts and reflexes and more than anything it’s confidence for a goaltender. When they feel good about themselves they move well and they’ve got flow."

“Now that he’s got a couple games under his belt and he has some success he feels good about himself.”

Pekka Rinne does it again, stops 19 shots vs. Colorado, remains undefeated

Pekka Rinne improved his record to 5-0, while helping Nashville 3-2 win in Colorado last night. Rinne's career record is now 6-1 to go along with a career GAA of 2.63 and career SV% of .903. Nashville will be hardpressed not to put Pekka back in the net on Saturday night when the Predators battle the Wild.

December 5, 2008

By John Glennon
THE TENNESSEAN

Undefeated: Goalie Pekka Rinne improved to 5-0 this season by stopping 19 of 21 Colorado shots. Rinne was actually pulled from two games this season after surrendering a flurry of early goals, but Nashville rallies in those games meant Rinne didn't suffer the losses.

"The biggest stat for me is the wins,'' Rinne said.

"I've played a few games now and I am getting used to the NHL speed and skill level.''

Pekka Rinne to start his second consecutive game tomorrow night vs. Colorado

Nashville's Pekka Rinne will start tomorrow night in goal when the Predators take on the Colorado Avalanche. Rinne currently has a 2.78 goals-against average and .898 save percentage and was the NHL's First Star for Monday night's action.

December 3, 2008, 2:15pm

Rinne to start for Predators against Avalanche

By John Glennon
THE TENNESSEAN

Predators goalie Pekka Rinne will make his third start in four games when Nashville plays host to Colorado on Thursday.

Dan Ellis had been scheduled to start, but the Predators have an informal rule about sticking with a goaltender who has produced a shutout. Rinne earned his first NHL shutout on Monday, stopping 30 shots in a 2-0 win over Buffalo.

Alexander Radulov's two goals lead 1st place Ufa over Spartak Moscow

Alexander Radulov scored his 12th and 13th goals of the season in Ufa's 5-1 win over Spartak Moscow last night. Radulov is currently tied for 11th in the KHL in points (28) and tied for 7th in +/- (+19). Ufa leads the KHL in points with 71, having won 21 out of 30 games and nearly doubling their opponents in the process (118 GF, 60 GA). Ufa will host Spartak Moscow in the 2nd half of a home and home.

Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne earns first career NHL shutout

Congratulations to PuckAgency client Pekka Rinne on his first career NHL shutout!

Rinne stopped 30 saves en route to a 2-0 win in Buffalo last night. Pekka, from Kempele, Finland, was making only his 6th start of the season (and appearing in his 9th career NHL game) and improved his record to 4-0. Rinne, who appeared in the 2007-08 AHL All-Star game for the Milwaukee Admirals, is signed with Nashville through the 2009-10 season. The Predators take on the red-hot Colorado Avalanche Thursday night at the Sommet Center.

December 2, 2008

By John Glennon
THE TENNESSEAN

Picking Pekka: Predators goalie Pekka Rinne made the most of his second start in three games, posting 30 saves and registering the first shutout of his career.

Rinne was in the net for a 4-3 overtime victory Friday, while Dan Ellis suffered a 6-2 loss to Minnesota on Saturday. But Predators Coach Barry Trotz said the choice of Rinne on Monday was more related to the schedule than anything else.

Trotz wants Ellis well-rested when the Predators on Thursday begin a stretch of seven straight — and 14 of 16 — Western Conference games.

"Ellie is going to see a lot of the nets upcoming, so from that standpoint, it was good to get Pekka in the nets and give him some work,'' Trotz said. "It was a really good game from Pekka. He made couple (of) big, timely saves when we needed it.''