The Nashville Predators are reeling after their Game 7, playoff ending, defeat at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets and many fans are pointing to goalie Pikke Rinne as the reason.
Rinne was pulled in the 1st period after giving up 2 goals on 7 shots, but despite the poor performance, Predators superstar P.K. Subban defended his teammate.
“Critics that want to criticize him don’t know what they’re talking about, I don’t care if they played in the NHL or not,” Subban said, according to Brady Trettenero of the Nation Network. “He’s the backbone of our hockey club and he’s one of the main reasons we’re here.
“I’m sick and tired of people always talking about him. He’s the backbone of this team. He’s the main reason we’re here. You talk about top goaltenders in the league it’s him, it’s (Carey) Price, it’s (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, it’s (Connor) Hellebuyck, it’s these guys. You’re lucky to have one of them.”
Rinne took responsibility after the game, telling reporters that, “It’s the most important game of the season and I let the whole team down.”
Adding that, “I feel very much responsible for our season ending at this point.”
It’s tough to imagine what Rinne is feeling, but his teammates certainly have his back after a brutal Game 7.
