Penguins Beat Predators 4-1, Take 2-0 Lead

The Pittsburgh Penguins kept Pekka Rinne plenty busy this time.

This time, Pittsburgh’s flurry came a little bit later.

Malkin added his ninth of the playoffs and second of the series just 15 seconds later and Rinne was skating to the bench in favor of backup Juuse Saros after stopping 21 of 25 shots. The Penguins have only blown two 2-0 series leads in their franchise history and none since 2000.

All signs point to that direction being toward a second straight Stanley Cup championship.

The floodgates are open in Pittsburgh.

Guarantees in sports are ridiculous because nobody can guarantee a damned thing, and besides, it would mean knowing Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne isn’t in the middle of a collapse. The Penguins offense was held in check for most of the game and had no answers for the Nashville defense until ten seconds into the third period. In all four previous games after losses this postseason, Rinne had allowed four total goals – one in each.

True, though for the majority of Game 1, the competition was pretty one-sided.

P.K. Subban and Malkin dropped the gloves for a fight after all the scoring.

Will Rinne start Game 3?

Well, through two periods of Game 2 Sidney Crosby and Malkin didn’t have a shot on goal, and the Predators were controlling 64.7 per cent of the shot attempts at five-on-five, and the shots Pittsburgh did get were distant, helpless.

None of that mattered when Guentzel struck again 10 seconds into the third, slamming home a juicy Rinne rebound. Nashville became the first team since the National Hockey League began tracking the stat in 1957 to hold a team without a shot for an entire period during the Stanley Cup Final. At the very least, he needs to go to a place where Jake Guentzel, who scored twice, doesn’t exist. He has found his touch at the right time for Pittsburgh, which leads the Final 1-0.

Despite losing game 1, the Predators looked impressive against the Penguins. Full marks to Jim Rutherford. he worked the officials to perfection before the series and got rewarded with several. ummm. interesting calls and non-calls in the first period of Game One.

A style that now has the Penguins two victories away from the cusp of a dynasty.

And when he starts playing, suddenly you realize how significant he is to the success of the Nashville Predators. We’re going to learn from those two games, and there’s not one ounce of doubt in this locker room. Nashville also went with the same lineup as in Game 1.

In the Stanley Cup Final, every play becomes magnified to the point that momentum can swing with every twist and turn, especially when the game is tied. Breaking up the barrage of penalties was Nashville’s Pontus Aberg, netting a wrist-shot past Penguins’ goaltender Matt Murray. Matt Murray has been strong in goal for the Penguins.

Representative Bryan Terry, who works with Waddell at a Lebanon medical facility is sponsoring the proclamation which honors Predators fans for being “the most passionate in hockey”.

It doesn’t matter how well the offense plays, how many shots they put on the Penguins’ goal, or how the six defenders play; the success of this team hinges exclusively on the play of the goalie. At the 16:36 mark of the first period, Guentzel tied the game. The hottest goaltender in the playoffs was only tested 11 times in 58 minutes – and lost.

The Penguins pulled even four seconds after the end of a fruitless power play.

Nashville has gotten contributions from those like Aberg throughout the playoffs.

Chris Kunitz had two assists for the Penguins for a second game in a row. Ken Campbell of HockeyNews wrote about Murray’s superb play this postseason for the Penguins and quoted him on his pre-game nerves. “And then, like an ignorant redneck, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome to throw a catfish on the ice at this game?'” The next game will be Saturday, June 3rd at 8:00 pm at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The newest Country Music Hall of Fame inductee says he’s proud to be included in the Predators’ Cup Final run. He replaced LW Carl Hagelin, who was scratched.

The win gives the reigning Stanley Cup champions precious momentum as they head into Game 2 on Thursday, also in Pittsburgh.