No matter how the ice has tilted one way or another, this Final has earned some extra attention for the Nashville hockey effect with catfish and country music artists, from surprise anthem singers to Carrie Underwood, the wife of Predators captain Mike Fisher. This move was done not as an indictment on Rinne, but to try to jumpstart the Predators.
Nashville has been practically unbeatable on home ice in the postseason and the Predators will once again be supported by a loud-and-proud crowd to lend energy and motivation. The Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to play Game 4 in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Monday.
A shot by Pittsburgh Penguins' Justin Schultz gets past Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) for a goal during the first period of Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Pittsburgh. "I don't think anyone on this team isn't feeling comfortable in the way we're playing right now". The Predators also award the best player in each game a heavy chain as a reward, a hockey version of a game ball. Because, along with Dumoulin, he's been part of the Penguins' top defensive pairing this postseason, playing over 20 minutes of ice time per game. "We know how good he can be. It's going to be a battle going in there and we need to steal one in their arena".
Barkley said the National Hockey League playoffs were more entertaining than the NBA's, and ratings are up considerably from a year ago when the Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks in six games. The home team has won each game in the series.
The defending champions provided an emphatic and repeated reminder of what makes them such a hard out in a 6-0 demolition of the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to take a 3-2 lead. At least one of those wins will have to come in Pittsburgh, where Rinne has never won a game.
Phil Kessel scored his eighth of the playoffs and added two assists, while Sidney Crosby tallied three assists.
The Predators haven't scored a goal in 63 minutes, 23 seconds since Filip Forsberg's empty-net goal in Game 4. "Two teams that skate well up and down the ice", Rinne said Wednesday from the team hotel. "It's a big game".
It was a familiar showing for Rinne. Then in game two, the Penguins broke open a 1-1 game with another three goal flurry over the first 3:28 of the third period. Pittsburgh will have a chance to become the first franchise to win back-to-back championships since Detroit in 1998 when the series shifts back to Nashville for Game 6 on Sunday night. Sheary took a pretty feed from Crosby and sent it by Saros 1:19 into the second to push Pittsburgh's lead to four.
"Obviously not the start you want to have".
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"I know people talk about how we're exhausted, but believe me, they're exhausted too", Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin said.
"We know we've got to win one road game and then a home game to boot". He stuck with Murray, reunited Sheary with Crosby and Jake Guentzel, and stressed his team needed to play with urgency but not desperation after the Predators rallied to tie the series by outscoring the Penguins 9-2 during two wins in Nashville.
Now, the 24-year-old Swedish sleeper is starting to make an impression in the Predators' first Stanley Cup final.
Rinne insisted his confidence isn't shaken though he was disappointed with Thursday's result.
"It's a good game but it's still not done", Malkin said.
I think the Penguins recognize that this isn't a winning recipe. He gave up three goals overall.
When Hainsey, who waited 907 regular-season games before reaching the playoffs for the first time this season, tapped in a pass from Malkin to make it 6-0, the stage was set for the Penguins to return to familiar territory. Kessel had all the time and space in the world as he maneuvered into the high slot and rifled a shot past Saros at 8:02. After the third goal went by him to end the period, his night was over. He had played great in the back-to-back road losses.
"It's not easy to get here", he said. Nashville F Colin Wilson made his series debut after missing the first four games with an undisclosed injury.
The goaltender whose job security was doubted two games into the Stanley Cup Final is now being hailed as a season-saving hero, while the goalie credited with the first two wins has been subjected to speculation that he might not start Game 5 on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
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