Strong Saros performance helps Preds even series, but who starts Game 3?

By John Glennon

Another day, another goalie dilemma for Predators coach John Hynes.

The fact that his team likely saved its postseason with a 4-2 victory over Arizona in Game 2 of this playoff qualifier series was cause for celebration Tuesday afternoon. A loss to the 11th-seeded Coyotes would have left the sixth-seeded Predators staring at a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series, on the verge of playoff elimination just three days after their postseason began. Instead, the Preds showed some grit and some efficiency, evening the series and looking like the better team for the bulk of the contest.

But that doesn't make Hynes' decision any easier as the teams ready for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Does he go back-to-back with Juuse Saros, who shut out the Coyotes for the first 59 minutes of Game 2? Saros would not only be starting games on consecutive days for the first time in his NHL career, but starting three games in four days. Or does Hynes go to the veteran in this back-to-back situation, utilizing former Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne and his 45 playoff victories?

If anything should help Hynes in his decision-making process, it's that he's already made two big calls on his starting goaltenders in recent weeks.

Hynes wound up picking Saros over Rinne as the Game 1 starter, relying on . . .

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Author: John GlennonMulti-media journalist with extensive expertise covering the NFL, NHL, professional soccer and more, including the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators for The Tennessean with articles, videos and podcasts. Strengths include the ability to write quick, concise and thorough analysis, as well as the ability to uncover unique human-interest stories. In working as a reporter, John developed skills that extend beyond the sports journalism world. An efficient and effective communicator, John is confident, calm and productive under deadline pressure and knows the power of the written word. John brings to Broadway Sports a work ethic second to none, an intellectual hunger, and an ability to inform and entertain readers, viewers and listeners. Reach out directly to John at: