Pekka Rinne's first Stanley Cup Final game was flat-out bizarre.
In Monday night's contest, the Pittsburgh Penguins had the fewest number of shots Rinne has faced in any of his 65 playoff starts -- by five. It was only the sixth time he has seen fewer than 20 shots in a postseason start.
The Nashville Predators goaltender faced fewer total shots in Game 1 against the Penguins than he did in the first period of the clinching match in the Western Conference finals against the Anaheim Ducks.
And yet, he lost.
Any goalie, at any level, will tell you that that facing 11 shots, as Rinne did in Game 1, is not ideal. Netminders always say they would prefer to face a consistent number of shots to stay warm. If that's the case, then the Finnish goalie was ice cold by the time a 37-minute shotless streak was broken by a wrister from forward Jake Guentzel -- a shot that went past Rinne to give the Penguins a 4-3 lead, en route to a 5-3 Game 1 win after an empty-netter.
Regardless of the wacky nature of Rinne's first Stanley Cup Final game, the 34-year-old goalie will now face questions about whether he's up to the task of handling the Penguins. If he bounces back, Rinne has a chance at a historic playoff performance and the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of the postseason.
Which will it be?
