The first "JUUUUUUICE" of the 2023-24 NHL season filled Bridgestone Arena a little north of 7 p.m. Thursday, when PA announcer Paul McCann exuberantly enunciated Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros' name.

"Nuuuummmber seventy-four! JUUUUUUSE SAAAARRROS!"

The enthusiasm of the 17,000-plus on hand for the 25th home opener in franchise history was met with the wave of a white goalie stick when he emerged through the mouth of an inflatable saber-tooth cat and joined his teammates at the blue line during player introductions.

Truth is, Saros needs no introduction. He's a two-time All-Star, a Vezina Trophy finalist and arguably — or inarguably — the most important player on the Predators' 23-man roster.

It didn't take long for the second "JUUUUUUICE" of the season to be born.

Ten minutes, 59 seconds in the first period of what turned out to be a 23-save shutout against the Seattle Kraken, Saros subtly snagged an Andre Burakovsky screamer with his glove.

Predators fans serenaded him again bout 90 seconds later, when Saros slid to his left and stifled another Seattle shot with his shin.

The "JUUUUUUICE"s routinely poured out on cue from the crowd during the 3-0 victory, Nashville's first of the young year.

Yes, there's plenty new about this season's version of the Nashville Predators — a new GM, a new coach, some new faces, a new system.

On Thursday night, though, it was the same old Saros. The one whose saves saved the Predators in so many ways.

"He's right on top of the league," Saros' goalie partner and fellow Finn Kevin Lankinen said. "On any given night he can be the best goalie in the world.

"Watching him from close range, I don't think there are many guys that can show up night after night on the same level he does."

Andrew Brunette on Saros: 'He makes it look so easy'

Juuse Saros speaks softly — and rarely — and carries a big goalie stick.

First-year coach Andrew Brunette and alternate captain Ryan McDonagh both called Saros the "backbone" of the team. Brunette said he supplies some comfort to a squad in transition like the Predators, one that's "still growing."

"You never feel panicked," Brunette said. "There's chances where you think there could be a little bit of trouble and he makes it look so easy."

Looks, though, can be deceiving.

Which begs the question: What makes Saros so good?

Yes, he led the league in games played and minutes played the past two seasons. He faced the most shots and stopped the most last season.

But how?

Lankinen said Saros is an elite skater and "moves as good as anybody," an attribute the backup said is the biggest strength of the generously listed 5-foot-11, 180-pounder.

"He's always behind the puck. He makes himself big," he said. "He reads shots well."

And he never quits.

Colton Sissons: 'Juice is the man'

Saros spent five seasons as Pekka Rinne's understudy. Though the cast of Rinne's shadow is long, Saros has emerged from it. He has made the team a playoff contender in years it otherwise shouldn't have been.

He has done it in relative obscurity from a casual observer's perspective, wandered under the radar in some ways.

Not in Nashville, though.

"We talk about him a lot," forward Colton Sissons said. "I don't know if the media is talking about him. They should be.

" 'Juice' is the man."

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He's the reserved man, the man of few words. The simple man who will never be quite comfortable in the spotlight but routinely will find himself there and try to make the best of it.

"He keeps us in games that sometimes we shouldn't be a part of," said Sissons, who has been Saros' teammate since Day 1 and who scored a shorthanded goal Thursday night.

Juuse Saros: The backbone and the funny bone

Saros has grown up before the fans in Nashville. From his game to his mustache to his confidence to his growing collection of tattoos.

He's married now; happened this summer. He's making $5 million a year, a bargain, but is setting himself up for a fat contract extension. New general manager Barry Trotz said one of his top priorities is trying to secure that ASAP.

Saros also is "funny in his own way," according to Lankinen, who spends more time with Saros than any other Predator.

They nerd out about goalie equipment and hockey math and angles.

"He just loves to live a simple life," Lankinen said. "I respect that."

Saros likes to tell stories, but can't do it without preempting them with laughter.

"He just cracks up before he even starts telling one," Lankinen said. "He's not the loudest guy out there but when he says something, you always listen. Sometimes something funny comes out."

A lot of times something wise comes out.

"I want to be the best one day, too," Lankinen said. "The only way to get better is to work with the best. We have a great thing going."

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators need goalie Juuse Saros now more than ever