The Preds would go on to win the game by a score of 5-1, meaning they have a shot to tie the series on Monday night at home. But goaltending, for Gretzky, was the key.
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Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel, right, celebrates his goal against Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, left, and Ryan Ellis, center, during the first period of Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Saturday, June 3, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. After Predators defenceman Yannick Weber kept a clearing attempt inside the Pittsburgh zone, Jarnkrok passed the puck to Austin Watson and then charged towards the net and banged in the rebound to give Nashville a 1-0 lead. Pittsburgh has lost momentum while Nashville seems to have all of it. The crowd told Penguins goaltender Matt Murray that he sucked and it was all his fault, and it was all happening again. They really can’t play much worse than they did in those games, so even if they expect Rinne to play better, they should also expect to play better themselves.
Crosby had another breakaway almost midway through the period, and Rinne stopped him not once, but twice.
After leading nearly every statistical category except “goals scored” in the opening two games in Pittsburgh, Subban had predicted the Predators would take the third game when the series moved to Nashville. It was 1-1.
Malkin is plus-150 to win the trophy, Guentzel is plus-400, Murray is plus-550 and Crosby is plus-650, according to OddsShark.
The breakaway Murray referenced ended with a goal for Viktor Arvidsson, who put the Predators up 3-1 midway through the second period. His consecutive sub-.900 save percentage performances marked a first for his career, but Murray dismissed the idea of falling into a funk. They pressure us. They play quick.
Predators – LW C. Wilson (Questionable, lower body), C R. Johansen (Out For Season, thigh), LW K. Fiala (Out For Season, leg).
Guentzel became the first player since Steve Yzerman in 1997 to score a goal in the first three games of the finals. Less than a minute later, Frederick Gaudreau took a pass in flight from Austin Watson and beat Matt Murray high on the glove hand for the 2-1 lead. “(Arvidsson’s) breakaway goal tonight, for me, is an example of we’ve got to have a bit of awareness away from the puck, and if we do that, it’s a nothing play”.
The Penguins have bigger issues than talk of bad breath, and their frustration bubbled over late Saturday night as they racked up 10 penalties for 44 minutes night.
Game Five is on Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Nashville Predators play the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 on Monday.
“As you can see by the way we play, our defensemen have the green light to add to the rush or lead the rush, take charge offensively in the offensive zone”, Laviolette said. He has also posted even better numbers than his career marks, with a 1.59 GAA and.935 SV% in games after losing.
The former National Basketball Association star and now TV analyst says he had nothing to do and is really looking forward to the game. Today it bounced our way a little more.
“The games are a lot closer than the score indicates”, said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. I came along in the right era.
For now, he insists he is happy enough just to sit on the floor as long as he plays.
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He is a huge part of hockey’s unusual historical symmetry: The Oilers had Gretzky and now have McDavid, and the Penguins had Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr and now have Crosby and Malkin.
