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Lindback to start for Preds, Rinne to kick his feet up

Pekka Rinne, Anders Lindback

Nashville Predators goalie Anders Lindback (39), of Sweden, replaces Pekka Rinne (35) in the third period of Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks in a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn. The Ducks won 6-3 to even the series at 2-2. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

Pekka Rinne is getting a rare night off, reports NHL.com. Nashville’s No. 1 goalie will hand off the reins to backup Anders Lindback for tonight’s home game versus the Wild.

We only mention because this isn’t a common occurrence. Rinne’s tied with Anaheim’s Jonas Hiller for most starts (71) in the league -- a number Predators coach Barry Trotz admits is higher than originally planned.

“No, I think going into it, I looked at it as more of a 65, probably, as a number going into the season,” Trotz said. “He’s probably best around that number. So it’s a little higher…I think we went into a little bit of a roll right before the All-Star break. We knew the teams in the West are so close and we wanted to get some separation. We rode him hard into the All-Star break.”

Trotz has reason to manage his starter’s minutes before the playoffs start. Rinne’s coming off the worst month of his season, statistically speaking. His March save percentage was a mediocre .902. In 14 starts, he went 7-5-2 and was yanked twice.

The Preds have even called up goalie Chet Pickard from the ECHL to take shots during practice, allowing Rinne to leave early if necessary.

In a related story, the Preds have a goalie named Chet.