GoldOnGold
Registered User
On the topic of Rinne, earlier today I read this interesting examination of his struggles this season:
"Much was made of Pekka Rinne’s struggles this season, and on the surface his .895 save percentage at 37 years of age would make you assume that he’s fallen down the proverbial elevator shaft.
The truth is Rinne’s struggles have been extremely odd this season, because they’ve only come from one specific area. At 5-on-5, among the 35 goaltenders who have played at least 1,500 minutes in 2019-20, Rinne finished tied for sixth in save percentage from the inner slot with a stellar .825, 10th in slot save percentage at .854, and middle of the pack overall at 18th with a .923. So why is his overall save percentage so low?
It’s because, from the inner slot in shorthanded situations, Rinne has posted the worst save percentage in the league by a drastic margin. The tiny fraction of shots Rinne has faced from that area in shorthanded situations drops his numbers from respectable to terrible. We have to look at all shots a goalie faces to properly evaluate them, but this is such an egregious outlier that it’s hard to believe it will continue. In just 36 shots faced from the inner slot while his team was shorthanded, Rinne allowed 16 goals, 15 per cent of all the goals he allowed this season. Outside of that area, Rinne was decidedly above league average. We can’t discount those results, but it seems unlikely he would struggle that much.
Considering there are fewer power plays in the playoffs as well don’t be surprised that, if Rinne plays, he gives the Predators a good chance."
Five stats-based predictions for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Sportsnet.ca
"Much was made of Pekka Rinne’s struggles this season, and on the surface his .895 save percentage at 37 years of age would make you assume that he’s fallen down the proverbial elevator shaft.
The truth is Rinne’s struggles have been extremely odd this season, because they’ve only come from one specific area. At 5-on-5, among the 35 goaltenders who have played at least 1,500 minutes in 2019-20, Rinne finished tied for sixth in save percentage from the inner slot with a stellar .825, 10th in slot save percentage at .854, and middle of the pack overall at 18th with a .923. So why is his overall save percentage so low?
It’s because, from the inner slot in shorthanded situations, Rinne has posted the worst save percentage in the league by a drastic margin. The tiny fraction of shots Rinne has faced from that area in shorthanded situations drops his numbers from respectable to terrible. We have to look at all shots a goalie faces to properly evaluate them, but this is such an egregious outlier that it’s hard to believe it will continue. In just 36 shots faced from the inner slot while his team was shorthanded, Rinne allowed 16 goals, 15 per cent of all the goals he allowed this season. Outside of that area, Rinne was decidedly above league average. We can’t discount those results, but it seems unlikely he would struggle that much.
Considering there are fewer power plays in the playoffs as well don’t be surprised that, if Rinne plays, he gives the Predators a good chance."
Five stats-based predictions for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Sportsnet.ca