It was a sight that left a sinking feeling inside the stomachs of Nashville Predators fans. With under seven minutes remaining in their game against the Calgary Flames, Juuse Saros suffered an apparent ankle injury. Going down the tunnel and not returning, their chances of a strong playoff push may have also gone down. Despite their efforts, a late-game push by the Flames, and a less-than-stellar performance from David Rittich, Nashville couldn’t hold on and eventually lost the game in overtime. The result was secondary, helped by the fact that a Vegas Golden Knights shootout loss helped them clinch their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. What mattered most was the extent of Saros’ injury.
While the team hasn’t confirmed how bad the injury is, several reports indicate that Saros could miss up to four-to-six weeks due to an ankle sprain. While it’s unknown whether his injury is ankle-related, typically, these types of injuries have a timetable of three weeks to two months, depending on the severity. A grade-1 sprain takes around two-to-three weeks to heal and comes with some mild point and joint instability and stiffness. A grade-3 sprain is more troublesome, as it comes with severe swelling and pain, total instability, and loss of motion. The playoffs have showcased players playing through extreme pain, but for goaltenders, side-to-side motion requires a good set of ankles, and even a grade-1 sprain could cause trouble.
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
With Saros shut down for the last two games of the season, the focus becomes whether he will be available for Game 1 of the opening round. The Predators will be in tough either playing the Calgary Flames or the Colorado Avalanche. Without him between the pipes, their chances are slim-to-none, and they were already heavy underdogs with him being healthy. They do have two 40-goal scorers, a sensational third line headed by a breakout rookie, and a Norris-calibre defenseman, but…
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