Predators Goalie Named Finland Starter

Team Finland has named a Nashville Predators goalie as their starter for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Jan 25, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) makes a save in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In a very unsurprising move, Team Finland has turned to a Nashville Predators net minder to start in goal for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Predators starter Juuse Saros, the most accomplished goalie on Finland's roster, has been tabbed as their starter in game one against the United States.

For Saros, this is a chance to break out of the Predators' nightmarish season and find success on an international level. Finland enters the tournament as the overwhelming choice to finish in last place out of the four countries participating. They're an easy choice for fourth place given how dynamic and elite the lineups for the USA, Canada, and Sweden are, but the decision to ride with Saros is the team's best chance to shock the field.

Saros named starter for Finland against United States at 4 Nations https://t.co/J4G9xj69lG

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) February 12, 2025

Saros has been having a tough season in Nashville, like so many others in the organization. The Preds are one of the worst teams in the league, and it's largely due to their failures on the defensive side of the puck. It's left Saros alone or outnumbered in high-danger scoring chances time and time again, but neither he nor his teammates can solely take the full blame.

Still, the veteran goalie and former Vezina Trophy finalist is playing through the worst statistical season of his NHL career. Over 41 starts, he's collected a record of 11-23-6. At this pace, Saros is likely to end his streak of 30+ win seasons. To go with it, his goals against average is at a career-high number at 2.99. Similarly, his save percentage is the lowest it's ever been, with Saros posting a .899 save percentage.

Saros joins the previously announced starting group in the tournament, and it's a murderer's row of puck-stoppers. In net for the United States is Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck. Starting for Canada is St. Louis Blues veteran Jordan Binnington, and Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild gets the nod for Sweden.

With the depth of talent on display, it will likely come down to which of these four goalies has the best performance in order to determine the winner of each contest.

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