Predators' Justus Annunen: Surrenders three goals in loss
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Annunen stopped 37 of 40 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Annunen gave up the first two goals of the game, and Victor Olofsson's tally in the middle of the second period sent the Finnish netminder to a loss. Annunen has allowed 13 goals on 109 shots over his last five outings (three starts). For the season, he's just 1-5-1 with a 3.73 GAA and an .865 save percentage. His poor play and Juuse Saros' recent improvements have led to Saros getting the bulk of the starts for Nashville lately. Annunen will likely get into one of the Predators' next four games since they have a back-to-back set next weekend.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Set to face Colorado
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Annunen is expected to start on the road against Colorado on Saturday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Annunen has struggled this campaign, posting a 1-4-1 record, 3.83 GAA and .846 save percentage in nine appearances this season. Going up against the Avalanche isn't likely to give him better results. Colorado is 22-2-7 and ranks first in goals per game with 4.00. Annunen began his NHL career with Colorado before being traded to Nashville during the 2024-25 campaign. He's making his first career start against his former team.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Needed in relief Saturday
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Annunen stopped the only two shots he faced after replacing Juuse Saros midway through the third period of Saturday's 6-3 loss to Carolina.
Saros getting the hook had far more to do with the Predators' lackadaisical defensive effort than it did his own performance, and Nashville was down 6-1 when Annunen took the crease. The 25-year-old backup netminder has just one win in his nine appearances this season, going 1-4-1 with a rough 3.83 GAA and .846 save percentage.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Gives up four goals
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Annunen stopped 20 of 24 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Jets. The fifth goal was an empty-netter with 21 seconds left in the game.
Annunen got the start in the second leg of his back-to-back set after Juuse Saros defeated the Blackhawks on Friday. Unfortunately for the Predators, Annunen was unable to replicate the results and was beaten four times en route to another defeat. Annunen has won in just one of his eight appearances this season, going 1-4-1 and allowing three or more goals in all but one of them.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Set to start Saturday
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Annunen will guard the home goal versus the Jets on Saturday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Annunen will get the second half of a back-to-back after Juuse Saros won over the Blackhawks on Friday. Annunen is also coming off a win, having allowed three goals on 31 shots against the Red Wings on Wednesday. The Jets have been struggling lately, scoring just seven goals during a four-game losing streak.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Gives up three goals in win
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Annunen allowed three goals on 31 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Red Wings.
It wasn't the cleanest performance, but Annunen got a rare showing of goal support from the Predators' offense to come away with this win. Two of Detroit's three tallies came on the power play. The victory was Annunen's first of the season, moving him to 1-3-1 with a 3.89 GAA and an .850 save percentage in seven appearances. Look for Annunen and Juuse Saros to split the next two games, as the Predators visit the Blackhawks on Friday and host the Jets on Saturday.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Starting in Detroit
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Annunen will protect the road goal versus the Red Wings on Wednesday.
Annunen's last two appearances have come in relief, and he's allowed four goals on 16 shots over that span. He's also lost all four of his starts this season (0-3-1). He'll be facing a tough task since the Red Wings have scored 17 goals over their last six games, going 3-2-1 in that span.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Shaky in relief appearance
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Annunen stopped seven of 10 shots in relief of Juuse Saros in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Panthers.
Annunen hasn't started in the Predators' last five games, but he has made a pair of relief appearances, allowing four goals on 16 shots. While Saros hasn't played well this season, Annunen hasn't done nearly enough to push for a larger share of playing time himself, posting a 4.07 GAA and an .828 save percentage while going 0-3-1 over six outings. Annunen should get a chance to make a start later this week, as the Predators visit the Blackhawks on Friday and host the Jets on Saturday in a back-to-back set.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Needed in relief Monday
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Annunen turned aside five of six shots after replacing Juuse Saros to begin the third period of Monday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.
Annunen didn't even see the puck that got past him -- the netminder knocked it into the net himself with his skate while crossing the crease to cover the near post as Artemi Panarin buzzed around behind the net. It's Annunen's first relief appearance of the season after four rough starts, and Nashville's No. 2 goalie isn't making a case for more playing time -- he has a record of 0-3-1 as well as a 3.98 GAA and an .840 save percentage.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Fades late against Dallas
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Annunen stopped 17 shots in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Stars.
The Predators took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but Annunen gave up three goals on only six shots in the final frame, although there wasn't much he could do on any of them. The 25-year-old netminder remains winless on the season, going 0-3-1 with a 3.81 GAA and an .850 save percentage in four starts as Juuse Saros' backup.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: In net Saturday
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Annunen will protect the home net against Dallas on Saturday, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Annunen stopped 21 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. He has posted a record of 0-2-1 this season while allowing 11 goals on 78 shots. Dallas sits 22nd in the league with 2.86 goals per game in the 2025-26 campaign.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Takes unique overtime loss
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Annunen gave up three goals on 24 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild.
The Predators were fortunate to force overtime, with Steven Stamkos scoring in the final second of regulation. The officials and NHL situation room determined that Annunen dislodged the net when Marcus Johansson had an imminent scoring chance, resulting in an awarded goal at 3:38 of overtime. It's one of the more unique ways to lose a game, and Annunen dropped to 0-2-1 on the year because of it. He's allowed 11 goals on 79 shots across his three starts this season. Expect Juuse Saros to be back between the pipes for Thursday's home game against the Flyers.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Starting in Minnesota
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Annunen will defend the road cage Tuesday versus the Wild.
Annunen will get the start in the second half of a back-to-back after Juuse Saros was between the pipes during Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to Vancouver. The 25-year-old Annunen has made just two starts this year, surrendering a total of eight goals on 54 shots (.852 save percentage) in losses to Toronto and Dallas. The Wild have generated 2.77 goals per game this season, which is tied for 22nd in the league.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Beaten three times
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Annunen stopped 24 of 27 shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Stars.
Annunen was making his second start of the season -- and first since allowing five goals in a 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs on Oct. 14 -- but settled for another loss. Firmly entrenched as Juuse Saros' backup, Annunen shouldn't have a lot of fantasy upside as a backup who's allowed eight goals on 53 shots faced through two contests in 2025-26.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Starting at home Sunday
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Annunen will defend the home goal against the Stars on Sunday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Annunen will draw the start in the second half of a back-to-back after Juuse Saros was in net for Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Kings. The 25-year-old Annunen surrendered five goals on 26 shots in a loss during his lone appearance versus the Maple Leafs on Oct. 14. The Stars snapped a four-game losing streak in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Hurricanes, and they're tied for 16th in the NHL with 3.00 goals per game to start the year.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Allows five in loss
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Annunen made 21 saves in a 7-4 loss to Toronto on Tuesday.
He allowed five goals. It was a tough night to make his season debut, what with the Leafs' stars coiled and ready to explode offensively. Annunen remains the number two man in Nashville, and he won't always get the tough matchups. Spot duty is likely your best option in dailies.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Leaves ice first Tuesday
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Annunen was the first goalie to exit the ice ahead of Tuesday's road clash with the Maple Leafs, Mark Masters of TSN reports, indicating he'll be in goal.
Annunen will make his 2025-26 debut after watching Juuse Saros feature in the first three games of the year. Last season, the 25-year-old backstop made 23 appearances for the Predators in which he posted a 9-11-1 record to go with a 3.17 GAA. Looking ahead to the rest of the campaign, Annunen figures to see around 20-25 starts behind Saros.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Defending road crease
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Annunen will tend the road twine in Sunday's preseason game versus the Hurricanes, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Annunen will get into his third exhibition contest Sunday -- he has allowed a total of two goals on 26 shots in preseason action. The 25-year-old figures to have the No. 2 netminding gig locked up behind Juuse Saros for the 2025-26 campaign. Annunen went 15-15-1 with a 3.18 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 34 regular-season appearances between Colorado and Nashville last season.
Predators' Justus Annunen: Loses to Golden Knights
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Annunen stopped 24 of 28 shots in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Annunen has allowed 15 goals across his last three outings, going 1-2-0 in that span. The 25-year-old has been splitting the crease with Juuse Saros lately since the Predators have nothing to play for but pride in a terrible 2024-25 campaign. Annunen is 15-15-1 with a 3.18 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 34 outings between Nashville and Colorado this season. If the workload pattern continues, Saros could face Utah on Monday, and Annunen may draw a tough matchup against the Stars on Wednesday in the Predators' regular-season finale.
