Goals, saves, and wins have not altered Justus Annunen's focus this season.
Through the first two months of the season, Annunen had a .859 save percentage, a 3.43 goals against average and a 1-5-1 record, a stat line that was one of the worst in the NHL.
In a similar sense, the Predators weren't playing well, sitting as the worst team in the NHL with a 6-12-4 record in mid-November. Head coach Andrew Brunette has said before that Annunen hadn't been put in "fair" situations earlier in the season.
"We have to be really fair when we evaluate him (Annunen). We put him in some hard places, and we put him when he's a little bit rusty," Brunette said following a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers on Dec. 21.
Annunen's role in the early season was to relieve Juuse Saros, whether that meant giving the starting goalie a break or coming in after Saros was yanked.
In the early season, the Predators went as far as Saros went. At one point, the Finn was in the top two in the league in shots faced and saves made, not getting much support from the defense in front of him.
In a time where things seemed grim, Annunen didn't change anything. He muted all the noise around him and did the only thing that he could do: work hard.
"You have to focus on what you can do," Annunen said. "There's gonna be goals. That's hockey. Sometimes you've got to look beyond the results. You can't just look at the numbers and be like 'oh I had a bad game' or 'I had a good game.' You have to look at the whole picture."
The confidence in his own game has led to results: Annunen has won his last three starts and posted a .900 save percentage in his previous four.
His latest victories have been against the Vegas Golden Knights (4-2), the Washington Capitals (3-2), and the New York Rangers (2-1). Despite losing to the Colorado Avalanche, 4-2, Annunen made an impressive 37 saves on 40 shots.
"I feel like my game is being the same whole year and that it's hockey sometimes," Annunen said. "I've been putting in the work all summer, all last year and all my life, but sometimes the puck just goes in. Winning games, of course, helps."
Saros's efforts came in clutch in the victory over the Capitals, as he prevented Alexander Ovechkin and company from forcing overtime. He was perfect in 5-on-5 play and made 30 saves on 32 shots, which was his second 30+ save performance of the season.
"You got a little bit of grace for him (Annunen) in the first couple starts, and now he's gotten a little bit better rhythm," Brunette said following the win over the Capitals.
"You could tell he's feeling a lot better, especially in his last five starts. He's been exceptional."
The confidence and belief in Annunen's game and that it'd eventually come around were shared by Predators management, as he signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract beginning in the 2026-27 season.
"I like it here a lot. They (management) want me to stay here, and I want to stay here, so that's pretty easy," Annuen said. "It's pretty good for the next couple of years to be able to work with Juice (Saros), Benny (Ben Vanderklok), Mitch (Korn) and just try to improve every day and try to get to the next level."