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Other than a five-minute stretch late in the first period where the Penguins were able to score three goals (one on a full two-minute, 5-on-3 power play; another the result of an own-goal off the body of Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm) they spent most of the night defending a relentless Nashville attack while being unable to generate anything against the NHL’s best defense. Matt Murray finished with 23 saves for the Penguins, who used the first coach’s challenge in Final history to wipe out an early Nashville goal and held on despite their astonishing shot drought.

The Penguins converted on the 5-on-3 with an Evgeni Malkin goal. Seriously. The Penguins were beating the Nashville Predators, 3-0, after 20 minutes, but were then shut down on offense for nearly 40 minutes.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby waves to the crowd while holding onto the Stanley Cup while riding along the victory parade route in Pittsburgh, Pa., Wednesday, June 15, 2016.

The Predators didn’t allow the Penguins to get a shot on goal through the second period.

Crosby has an opportunity to help his Penguins become the first National Hockey League team to win back-to-back titles in 19 years. Colton Scissons, whose hat trick powered the Predators to their Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks to win the West, cashed in to make it 3-2.

Add an empty-netter, and it finished Penguins 5, Predators 3.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators are set to each get an important player back for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Pittsburgh Penguins went exactly 37 minutes without a shot on goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Yeah, I feel good”, Fisher said Sunday.

That gave the Penguins three goals on seven shots.

But Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan challenged the goal for an offsides that happened on the zone entry, and after a lengthy review it was determined Forsberg did not keep his back skate on the ice long enough to stay onsides before the puck entered the zone, wiping away the goal. Sullivan isn’t anxious, saying Pittsburgh has the ability to “take what the game presents”. “Being down 3-0 to the Stanley Cup champions, coming back and tying it up with an opportunity to win the hockey game is definitely something to build on”.

The disallowed goal started a nightmare first period for the Predators that proved costly in the close affair. If you base the victor on the teams versus each other over their last 10 games you would beat the pundits more than you would lose.

The Penguins had all of three days to get ready for the final following a draining slog through the Eastern Conference that included a pair of Game 7 victories, the second a double-overtime thriller against Ottawa last Thursday. With Murray healthy again, Pittsburgh went back to the No. 1 starter, who got the job done against Ottawa, winning the decisive seventh game on his 23rd birthday. The team turned to Matt Murray in net during the last series. Down 3-0 at the time, early into the second, Nashville finally broke through on defenseman Ryan Ellis’s power play goal at 8:21.

One of Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford’s first moves when he took over in 2014 was to send forward James Neal to Nashville for forward Patric Hornqvist. Just one player on Nashville’s roster, Mike Fisher, has championship round experience – and he is not even confirmed to be in the lineup for Game One.

Another injury has befallen the Nashville Predators, who won’t have forward Colin Wilson available for Game 1. We played a good game. Then came Jake Guentzel, scoreless in his past eight, sprung into space and hoping to heave something-anything-onto Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne. Nashville’s is in the back.