NHL royalty vs. the rowdy neighbors in Stanley Cup Final

The differential was of no effect.

No game captured his iron will more in this series than Game 6 in Ottawa.

Kunitz, relegated to the fourth line since returning from injury in the second round, picked up his first postseason goal in a calendar year when he completed a two-on-one with Conor Sheary – a healthy scratch in Games 5 and 6 – by slipping the puck by Anderson 9:55 into the second period. He won his second Olympic gold medal, his first world championship, his second Stanley Cup, his first World Cup, and now he and the Penguins have a chance to become the first repeat National Hockey League champs since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.

– The Penguins don’t want to hear about anybody else’s injury problems but they got a break when the Predators advanced without their leading scorer, Ryan Johansen, who is out for two to three months with an injured thigh. Each has averaged better than a point per game during his career and each has won the Hart Trophy (NHL’s most valuable player) and the Art Ross Trophy (regular season points leader). The Penguins haven’t played anyone quite like the Predators. Karlsson had 16 assists in the playoffs to set a team record. They’ve played more physical teams, from Columbus to Washington to Ottawa.

Many would think that he should be assigned to Crosby, and while the Pens’ captain has been phenomenal with 20 points, Malkin has been Pittsburgh’s biggest offensive threat. That may be a stretch, because Karlsson is the reigning Norris Trophy victor.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby sent a soft backhand pass from the right face-off circle to Kunitz, whose shot allowed the defending Stanley Cup champions to move on.

“We kind of call him Mr”.

While Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone were able to beat Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray in regulation, only Justin Schultz and Kunitz could beat Anderson for the Penguins.

The share in Pittsburgh was 47.0, which means nearly half of the televisions in the market that were on Thursday night were tuned to Game 7. Defence was their means to almost winning the Atlantic Division, to slipping past the Bruins and Rangers and almost toppling the Penguins. Hornqvist has seven points (4G, 3A) in 13 playoff games and had 44 (21G, 23A) in 70 regular-season games. Same for Shultz, who has been the best puck-carrier on the team in star Kris Letang’s absence. “They’ve been around the game a long time, and they understand when they have something special”. The team that swept Chicago and blew past St. Louis isn’t quite the same now.

The game featured two dramatic third-period goals, several minor controversies and 25 minutes of tense overtime hockey.

While the Penguins are not a good corsi team, managing a less than pedestrian 46.47 corsi for percent these playoffs, they make the most of the chances that they do receive at even strength.

No, wait, check that – the Penguins’ opponent is 16th-seeded Nashville.

Ticketmaster, the agent for Finals games in Nashville, posted a notice on its website that buyers for games at Bridgestone Arena will be limited to credit card billing addresses in the Predators’ viewing area – Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins are exponentially better with Sidney Crosby in the lineup than without him and there is no reason to believe that he will be anything less than a handful for the Predators.

Does any of this make a difference? While he was thrilled to contribute and that his team was successful, Kunitz was quick to point out the Predators will present a major challenge in a series that will get underway Monday night at 8 p.m. ET from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins begin the defense of their crown with a home game Monday against the Nashville Predators.

The pick: Penguins in 7.