Juuse Saros, the Nashville Predators' goalie, sported a wild mop of midnight-black hair after practice, sweat beads making a break for freedom at Bridgestone Arena. Standing at a modest 5-foot-11, he shed a few more inches by ditching his skates, but his height never bothered him much. "I was never a big guy growing up," he shrugged. "I learned to play within my height, so I never really thought about it that much."
Announcers on national broadcasts, however, never seemed to let it go, harping on about Saros' size every single game. The irony wasn't lost on him. "During my draft year, it was a big thing," he recalled. "There was a lot of talk about it."
Comparisons to Hockey Hall of Famer Roy "Shrimp" Worters, the shortest goalie ever at a mere 5-foot-3, may be a stretch, given that Worters last played almost a century ago. Yet, Saros, with two All-Star selections and a Vezina Trophy finalist season, seems unfazed. Even with his shorter stature, his performance speaks volumes.
However, there's one stat that raises eyebrows: his save percentage on screened shots. At .863 during the regular season, he ranked 49th out of 54 goalies. The theory is that being shorter makes him easier to screen, a tactic the Canucks exploited. Four of the five goals they scored in the series came with Saros screened. "We know Saros is a great goalie," Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes admitted. "We're just going to have to take his eyes away."
Despite this, Saros boasts a 2.02 goals-against average, placing him sixth among playoff goalies. His .880 save percentage, though 12th, is respectable. The fewer shots faced (just 50 in three games, the fourth-fewest), partly due to his team's defense, explains the discrepancy. "That's a challenge," Saros admitted. "You want to see more shots, but in the playoffs, you're so wrapped up within the game. . . . I haven't really felt like (it was a problem), even though there have been longer periods of time that I haven't faced shots."
The intensity of the playoffs keeps him focused. "In that way, it's maybe a little easier to stay in the game, even without that many shots," he added.
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