Predators' Pekka Rinne: Defending net Thursday

Rinne was the first on the ice for warmups and will start Thursday night's game against the Avalanche.

Analysis:

It's been an ugly last few outings for Rinne, as he's allowed four goals in each of three of his last four starts and has been pulled from two of them. Young backup Juuse Saros is still lurking from the bench, but the Predators still apparently have confidence in their veteran, at least for now. Rinne will have a chance to turn it around against a horrible Colorado offense that's averaging 1.79 goals per game on the road.