Predators' Justus Annunen: Yields three goals in loss
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Annunen turned aside 32 of 35 shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to New Jersey.
Annunen was tasked with recording a high total of saves in regulation to force overtime, in which he ultimately fell short when New Jersey's Nico Hischier rifled the game-winning tally past him 42 seconds into the extra period. With the loss, Annunen now holds a 4-6-2 record, 3.30 GAA and .881 save percentage across 16 outings this season. While the 25-year-old netminder hasn't found the win column in each of his last three outings, he has only one regulation loss across his last six appearances, a stretch during which he has a 2.69 GAA and a .909 save percentage. He remains firmly behind Juuse Saros on the depth chart, but with solid performances such as Thursday's, Annunen could begin to draw more starts if the Predators start slipping out of playoff contention.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Drawing start Thursday
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Annunen will defend the road crease against New Jersey on Thursday, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Annunen has seen limited playing time in recent weeks, but he'll tend the twine Thursday after sitting out the Predators' last three games. He's made three appearances in January, going 1-1-0 with a 3.51 GAA and .889 save percentage.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Strong showing in relief
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Annunen stopped all 13 shots he faced in relief in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Sabres.
Annunen entered the game in the second period after Juuse Saros allowed four goals on 18 shots. Annunen has limited upside as the backup netminder this season, but he can be a decent matchup-based streaming option at times.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Expected to face Vegas
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Annunen is expected to start on the road against Vegas on Saturday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Although Annunen has played sparingly this season, he has won his past three starts while stopping 75 of 80 shots (.938 save percentage). He's 4-5-1 with a 3.17 GAA and an .881 save percentage in 13 outings in 2025-26. Vegas has won its past six games, posting 4.83 goals per game across that stretch.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Defeats Capitals
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Annunen stopped 28 of 30 shots in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Capitals.
Annunen has started just three of the Predators' last 11 games, but he's earned wins in each of those outings. He gave up both goals on Capitals power plays in this contest, but the Predators had a pair of tallies with the man advantage to cancel those out. Annunen is up to 4-5-1 with a 3.17 GAA and an .881 save percentage over 13 contests. While he's playing well currently, he's the backup to the busiest goalie in the league, Juuse Saros, which leaves Annunen with few chances to tend the twine. His next game is likely to be in an upcoming road back-to-back, but the matchups are brutal, as he'll either face the Avalanche on Friday or the Golden Knights on Saturday.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Drawing start Sunday
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Annunen will be between the home pipes against the Rangers on Sunday, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Annunen hasn't gotten in the win column since Nov. 26 in Detroit, as he's 0-2-0 with a 3.30 GAA and an .897 save percentage over his last three appearances. The Rangers will be without J.T. Miller (upper body) on Sunday, and Gabe Perreault and Matt Rempe are late scratches due to illness. New York has won back-to-back contests following a two-game losing streak.
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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: 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: 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: 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.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Plays third period in loss
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Annunen stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief of Juuse Saros in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Annunen was tagged in for the third period after Saros allowed three goals over the final eight minutes in the middle frame, turning a close game into a blowout. The 25-year-old Annunen gave up the third goal of Kirill Marchenko's hat trick, but that was the only blemish on his performance. Annunen remains at 14-13-1 with a 2.98 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 31 outings this season between the Predators and the Avalanche. Saros has struggled throughout the campaign, so Annunen may see a bit more action down the stretch since the team has nothing but draft position to play for. Both Nashville goalies are best avoided for Thursday's road game in Dallas.
