Rinne backstops the Predators to another win; Elliott, Smith, the Blues' big line and more in Scott Cullen's Statistically Speaking.

The Nashville Predators stole two road games to start their series with the Anaheim Ducks, and they've held an advantage in goal thanks to Pekka Rinne, who stopped 27 of 29 shots in a 3-2 Game Two win.

Rinne is very much a wildcard for the Predators and their playoff hopes. He's been a (top three) finalist for the Vezina Trophy three times, so he holds a reputation for being a top-tier puck-stopper, yet he's been clearly below average in three of the past four seasons, ranking 20th out of 24 goaltenders in save percentage among goaltenders that played in at least 160 games.

Through two road games in Anaheim, Rinne has stopped 54 of 58 shots (.931 SV%), which has been better than his Anaheim counterpart John Gibson (54 of 60, .900 SV%) and, as a result, the Predators return home with a 2-0 series lead.

HEROES

Brian Elliott - St. Louis' goaltender turned away 44 of 46 shots in a 3-2 Game Three win at Chicago; the 31-year-old led the league with a .930 save percentage during the regular season, and has stopped 105 of 109 shots (.963 SV%) in three games against the Blackhawks.

continued at TSN....