They've faced each other twice already this season and might well go head-to-head again Saturday at Sommet Center.Maybe by then we'll finally know whether Nashville's Pekka Rinne or Columbus' Steve Mason is the league's best first-year goaltender ? not to mention the NHL rookie of the year.
Mason would seem to be the frontrunner in the rookie of the year race, thanks to the eye-opening 10 shutouts he's posted in 56 games and a handful of numbers that rank among the best in the NHL.
But with seven shutouts in 47 games and statistics that come very close to mirroring those of Mason's, Rinne surely can't be far behind.
"It's surprising. Most of the time it takes awhile for goalies to adjust to this level, but both of those guys have been doing so well from the start,'' Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "I don't know really if there is a big difference between them. I'd just say we're probably going to be seeing a lot of both of them in the future.''
Neither Mason nor Rinne was expected to be his team's starting goaltender this season, let alone contend for any league honors. But both have played pivotal roles in pushing the Blue Jackets and Predators into playoff position with just five games left in the regular season.
The 20-year-old Mason didn't even begin the season on the NHL level, instead starting for the Blue Jackets' top affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y. It wasn't until November that Mason made his NHL debut, stepping between the pipes only because of Pascal Leclaire's injury and Fredrik Norrena's ineffectiveness.
He won his first three games, then really caught the league's attention in late December, when the 6-foot-4, 212-pounder became the first NHL goalie since 1955 to record three consecutive shutouts.
"He's the kind of guy that really uses his size well,'' said St. Louis goalie Chris Mason, no relation to Steve. "He's a big guy that covers a lot of net, but when the passes come across, he seems to get there in plenty of time. He makes some really timely saves.''
Maybe what's most impressive about Mason is his poise, given that he'd never played a professional game prior to this season.
"He's just walked in the door and he's a stud,'' Detroit Coach Mike Babcock said. "It looks like he's going to be here for about 18 years."
The 26-year-old Rinne had a couple of shaky outings early in the season and didn't start regularly for the Predators until January. So in a sense, he's been playing catch-up to Mason ever since then.
But since Feb. 1, Rinne has started 24 of Nashville's 29 games, going 16-4-4 ? the third-most wins in the league. He's held the opposition to two goals or less 15 times.
"Pekka's pretty creative with his movements and his recovery time is maybe better than Mason at this point,'' Chris Mason said. "That's just my opinion, but Pekka seems to never really get out of position, and if he does, he fights his way back there with his big body and skill.''
There are other similarities between the 6-foot-5, 206-pound Rinne and Mason.
"The one thing they both have in common is obviously size, and they both have a real good presence in net for young guys,'' said former NHL goalie Darren Pang, now an analyst for Phoenix Coyotes broadcasts.
"When I compare the two, the hands of Pekka Rinne are more athletic. I think he catches and handles more pucks, so he leaves fewer rebounds. The defensemen know when it gets in to the body, he's got control of the situation.
"Pekka does get a little busy with his foot movement sometimes, so he can tend to over-move. But once he's in the net for a little longer, he'll be a little more patient with his feet.''
Fittingly enough, the two goaltenders have split their previous meetings this season. What might Saturday's duel offer? Probably very few goals.
"They're both big, they cover a lot of net and they're really quick,'' St. Louis forward David Perron said. "They may be young, but it takes a really good shot to score on these guys.'
Mason would seem to be the frontrunner in the rookie of the year race, thanks to the eye-opening 10 shutouts he's posted in 56 games and a handful of numbers that rank among the best in the NHL.
But with seven shutouts in 47 games and statistics that come very close to mirroring those of Mason's, Rinne surely can't be far behind.
"It's surprising. Most of the time it takes awhile for goalies to adjust to this level, but both of those guys have been doing so well from the start,'' Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "I don't know really if there is a big difference between them. I'd just say we're probably going to be seeing a lot of both of them in the future.''
Neither Mason nor Rinne was expected to be his team's starting goaltender this season, let alone contend for any league honors. But both have played pivotal roles in pushing the Blue Jackets and Predators into playoff position with just five games left in the regular season.
The 20-year-old Mason didn't even begin the season on the NHL level, instead starting for the Blue Jackets' top affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y. It wasn't until November that Mason made his NHL debut, stepping between the pipes only because of Pascal Leclaire's injury and Fredrik Norrena's ineffectiveness.
He won his first three games, then really caught the league's attention in late December, when the 6-foot-4, 212-pounder became the first NHL goalie since 1955 to record three consecutive shutouts.
"He's the kind of guy that really uses his size well,'' said St. Louis goalie Chris Mason, no relation to Steve. "He's a big guy that covers a lot of net, but when the passes come across, he seems to get there in plenty of time. He makes some really timely saves.''
Maybe what's most impressive about Mason is his poise, given that he'd never played a professional game prior to this season.
"He's just walked in the door and he's a stud,'' Detroit Coach Mike Babcock said. "It looks like he's going to be here for about 18 years."
The 26-year-old Rinne had a couple of shaky outings early in the season and didn't start regularly for the Predators until January. So in a sense, he's been playing catch-up to Mason ever since then.
But since Feb. 1, Rinne has started 24 of Nashville's 29 games, going 16-4-4 ? the third-most wins in the league. He's held the opposition to two goals or less 15 times.
"Pekka's pretty creative with his movements and his recovery time is maybe better than Mason at this point,'' Chris Mason said. "That's just my opinion, but Pekka seems to never really get out of position, and if he does, he fights his way back there with his big body and skill.''
There are other similarities between the 6-foot-5, 206-pound Rinne and Mason.
"The one thing they both have in common is obviously size, and they both have a real good presence in net for young guys,'' said former NHL goalie Darren Pang, now an analyst for Phoenix Coyotes broadcasts.
"When I compare the two, the hands of Pekka Rinne are more athletic. I think he catches and handles more pucks, so he leaves fewer rebounds. The defensemen know when it gets in to the body, he's got control of the situation.
"Pekka does get a little busy with his foot movement sometimes, so he can tend to over-move. But once he's in the net for a little longer, he'll be a little more patient with his feet.''
Fittingly enough, the two goaltenders have split their previous meetings this season. What might Saturday's duel offer? Probably very few goals.
"They're both big, they cover a lot of net and they're really quick,'' St. Louis forward David Perron said. "They may be young, but it takes a really good shot to score on these guys.'
