The Nashville Predators knew they were going into their first round series against the Colorado Avalanche as the underdogs. Without star goaltender
Juuse Saros, the hill the team would have to climb became that much steeper. The series ended in a 4-0 sweep for the Avs. Now that it's over, Saros is lifting the veil of secrecy on his injury and addressed rumours that he may have been able to return if the series had gone on longer.
"I haven't even had my gear on since the injury. In the playoffs, it's part of the game to keep secrets, but my return wasn't even close," Saros told
Is.fi in his home country of Finland.
"It's a pretty unique injury. It could take another couple of weeks or months to heal."
Saros said the injury was incurred just three games away from the post-season when he went to make a save and felt something snap in his ankle.
"I felt a bang that I've never felt before. I stood up and thought, 'maybe it's not that bad'," said Saros. "The game went on for a couple of minutes and I made a couple of saves, but every time I went down on my knees and got up, it was quite painful. I realized it's not a small thing."
Because of the injury and the time needed to recuperate, Saros said he will not be playing for Team Finland at the World Hockey Championships beginning in a couple of days.
Saros recently received a big honour, being nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the league during the regular season along with fellow netminders
Igor Shesterkin and Jacob Markström. Saros said he was excited to be nominated, but he's not expecting to win it.
"I think it's pretty clear that Shesterkin gets the prize. No need to get excited or think about the speech," Saros said with a laugh.
While the interview was with a Finnish news outlet, Saros stated he won't be returning home to Finland until later this summer for the offseason. He intends to stay in Nashville until his ankle is fully healed.
Source:
Is.fi
