Pens, Preds could have same lineups for Game 2 of Cup Final

The Conn Smythe Trophy victor in 2009, Malkin leads the playoffs in scoring with nine goals and 26 points in 21 games.

Just like that, for the first time in the playoffs, Rinne was pulled by Preds head coach Peter Laviolette, putting in youngster Juuse Saros for the remaining 16 minutes, 32 seconds.

Ninety percent of teams with that advantage have gone on to win the Cup.

The floodgates are open in Pittsburgh. Rinne surrendered four goals on 25 shots in Game 2 after stopping only seven of 11 in the opener. We’re going to learn from those two games, and there’s not one ounce of doubt in this locker room. Pittsburgh was quick to challenge this, though, saying the zone entry was offside. Two of the biggest stars in hockey tussled against the boards with 7:46 left in a game Pittsburgh had taken over.

Dubbed the Broadway Smash: Preds Party With a Purpose, Jackson’s performance and the accompanying activities will kick off a series of watch parties for the game along Broadway in Nashville. Guentzel pounced on a rebound from Pekka Rinne, and just passed it into the net past the goaltender.

In four playoff games following a loss this postseason, Nashville’s Pekka Rinne had posted a.960 save percentage. He speaks a little bit of Russian, but I play with some Russians too.

Now, before you get all lathered up thinking a Penguins sweep is inevitable, you should study recent history.

He’s only two points (19) from matching the rookie mark for points in a single playoff, now with 19 points in 21 games. In Game 2, they had as many shots in the first period (12) as they did total in the previous game.

Fisher, 36, is captain of a Predator’s team playing in its first-ever Stanley Cup Finals.

On the goal, his ninth of the postseason, Malkin stormed down the left wing before firing a wrist shot over a sliding Predators defenseman and into the top right corner of the net.

And no catfish have been thrown on the ice so far. Of those teams, 90 percent went on to win the Stanley Cup, including Pittsburgh last season.

A strong individual effort by Aberg gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 12:57 of the first. It’s Guentzel’s playoff-leading 11th goal.

NBC Sports released ratings information Thursday afternoon for Wednesday’s Game 2 in Pittsburgh (the Predators lost 4-1) and – not surprisingly – Pittsburgh and Nashville had the most viewers of all US markets with local shares of 31.1 and 16.3, respectively. While he had a quiet Eastern Conference Finals (just two assists in seven games), Guentzel has 17 points in the other 14 playoff contests.

Thirty-six-year-old Jacob Waddell was charged in Allegheny County with disorderly conduct, possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions after tossing the dead fish over the glass surrounding the rink Monday night during the Nashville Predators-Pittsburgh Penguins game.

“It’s insane”, said Guentzel, who has an National Hockey League rookie record five game-winning goals this postseason.

The angst Nashville felt isn’t new to those who face the Penguins.

And then Crosby won the opening faceoff in the third, and Rinne sent a rebound of a Bryan Rust shot out like a pinball flipper and Guentzel buried it. He put Chris Kunitz on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Some had even suggested the rookie forward be benched for the beginning of the Stanley Cup Final.

The series now shifts to Nashville for the next two games, starting with Saturday night’s Game 3. Against Pittsburgh, it’s at.777 and he remains winless in his career against the Penguins in games he’s started.

While clearly Nashville was the better team in the second, they still didn’t dominate.

They stayed away from the rink Thursday and will go through a video session and on-ice practice before flying to Nashville on Friday to get set up in Music City to play Game 3 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA Sports).