After Justin Schultz and Bryan Rust gave the home team a 2-0 lead, the Predators were starting to get some chances. Perhaps more prominently, it centers on Malkin, who has 26 points in the postseason but only two in his past five games and none since Game 2 of the Final.
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Asked twice Tuesday if he planned on reevaluating his goaltending situation after Matt Murray allowed eight goals in Nashville, Sullivan stressed “we haven’t lost games because of our goaltending”. The final score tied for the seventh-biggest blowout in Cup Final history.
Zoey Bates, of Toronto, has her face painted with Pittsburgh Penguins colors outside PPG Paints Arena before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final between the Penguins and the Nashville Predators, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Pittsburgh. That was never more evident than on this play that came in the first period. Sidney Crosby, who was particularly strong early in the game, had three assists. I know it ends up on the ice, but I wouldn’t start throwing water bottles at this point.
That empty net goal broke a tie with James Neal, who also is in just his third postseason with the Predators. Game 6 is Sunday in Nashville.
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final is Thursday night at 8pm ET on Channel 3. Once again, the host has gotten off to an extremely strong start. A goose egg in the win column that will obviously have to change if the Preds are to capture their first ever Stanley Cup.
Still, Rinne is 0-5 in his career in Pittsburgh. The team that has won Game 5 in a 2-2 series has gone on to win the Cup 71 percent (17 of 24) of the time since 1939. On the road, he’s scored three times and recorded nine points in 11 games.
Kessel was at his best in Game 4, when he sent in Chris Kunitz alone on a breakaway and set up Crosby for another high-quality scoring chance.
It’s all Penguins after the first period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. While they weren’t almost as successful (by having not won a Cup), they have seen success by their own standards – reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel were among the six different goal-scorers for the Penguins, who are now one win away from becoming the first repeat Cup victor in nearly 20 years. It’s a safe bet he finds a way to beat Rinne again tonight.
After dropping two straight in Pittsburgh, the Predators held serve at home, and captured two lopsided victories to square the series.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be sticking with Matt Murray between the pipes for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Wilson’s dad, Carey, played 552 games with the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers. With Malkin, he’s shot the puck a lot less (2.8 per-game) but still remained largely productive.
Both of Wilson’s goals in these playoffs have come on the power play. It’s been (fun) not just for my family but I’m sure for all the players on the other side as well. “(Gaudreau’s) been unbelievable for us, just the way he’s come in and he’s been so good with the timely goals and so composed”, Predators captain Mike Fisher said of the 24-year-old, who had one assist in nine regular-season National Hockey League games in his career.
The Penguins turned Nick Spaling around and used him to get Phil Kessel.
The opening faceoff was delayed a few seconds after someone threw a catfish onto the ice – a Predators thing. No team has managed the feat since the Detroit Red Wings emerged in 1997 and 1998.
The downs and ups of the Predators goalie have been the dominant storyline throughout the Cup Final. He skated on Thursday and will be a game-time decision, but how effective will he be? For now anyway. If the first four games of an unpredictable series have dictated anything, its that momentum is just one shot away.
To his point, three missed the net, another three were blocked and only two found their way to Pekka Rinne – both of which were stopped.
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.
“I enjoy it. We have a good group of kids and they don’t feel like kids anymore after what they went through and what they did a year ago with Guentzel being the exception”, Cullen said. Does the home ice trend continue?
“I don’t know if anybody shakes off a game like that that quickly”, Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “Right now we’ve just got to focus on Game 6 at home and put all our energy in that one”. A Bonino return in Game 5 might be a big boost to this depleted Penguins team. I think we’ve got to play with urgency.
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That doesn’t mean the NHL’s grueling seven-month, 82-game grind is kind to a body four decades old. 22 overall back in 2013 and playing regularly as a 19-year-old rookie, Maatta has worked his way into the Penguins top line with his stellar play.
