Crosby dominant in Penguins’ Game 5 win over Predators

That’s 9-1 at home for the Predators, including two straight against the Penguins, 5-1 on Saturday and 4-1 on Monday night that tied the series at two games apiece. The Penguins can still win this series, but there is one trend they are going to have to reverse.

“The playoffs in hockey have been incredible”, said Barkley, who accepted commissioner Gary Bettman’s invitation to attend Game 4 in Nashville. “I thought tonight of all nights, we generated the most chances of the highest quality”. On the ensuing face-off, Filip Forsberg scored from the opposite goal line, almost 200 feet away, making it 4-1 and game over.

“I think the goaltending position can be such an important position by nature of how the game’s played”, Sullivan said.

And the victor of game five will sit in a glorious position in what has now been reduced to a best-of-three series for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

“Help us secure our home-ice advantage and prevent us from being penalized for unnecessary reasons. I know our whole team, our whole organization are so appreciative of the fan support that we get, and I think that has a lot to do with the success that we’ve enjoyed here at home this season”. He got split up from playing with Phil Kessel and managed just two shots, including a wraparound attempt that Rinne slid somehow slid across and stopped.

Pittsburgh, however, was problematic in the first two games of this series. Two nights earlier, he and Evgeni Malkin had failed to get a shot on net and the way that Crosby responded in Game 4 made it seem as though he took the outlier of a stat personally.

Over the last two games, the Penguins have allowed nine goals, while Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has performed remarkably, allowing just two goals with 50 saves in that time. For Game 1, Pittsburgh is a -165 moneyline favorite against the +145 underdog Predators with a 5.5-goal total. Sullivan exonerated his goaltender on Tuesday by saying that didn’t feel his team lost either game due to the play of his goaltender.

Following the 4-1 win, WSMV NBC 4 reporter Chris Harris tried to do a live broadcast from the party outside Bridgestone Arena. The Predators also award the best player in each game a heavy chain as a reward, a hockey version of a game ball. Murray, who was penciled to start in the postseason but was out with an injury, took his place and hasn’t looked back. Justin Schultz, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary also scored for the Penguins, who have outscored Nashville 15-4 in Pittsburgh.

“Well, like anything, we make our lineup decisions on a game-by-game basis”, Sullivan said.

The feeling here is that Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is just as adamant as Laviolette was and that Murray will be the starter in Game 5.

“Somehow he managed to keep it out”, said Guentzel, who scored four goals in the series’ first three games. “We were right there and we know if we can bring the same effort and just don’t have that breakdown in a three- or four-minute span when they can score a few goals, I think we’re going to have a good chance”. If Rinne was shaken by his ordinary showing in Pittsburgh, he quickly got back on track when he returned home.

If that’s the case, we may see this Terrible Towl-wrapped catfish make its return as a good omen for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Malkin, Crosby and Kessel combined for eight points in the victory.