Game 1 - Penguins v Trashville Predators 5-3 - Monday, May 29, 2017
Jake Guentzel could have been a healthy scratch. But Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan gave Guentzel the chance to play hero. Guentzel scored with 3:17 remaining in the third period to help the Penguins defeat the Nashville Predators 5-3 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena. Guentzel's goal, which made it 4-3, came on Pittsburgh's first shot on goal in a span of 37:00. It ended his eight-game goal drought dating to May 8. Pittsburgh did not have a shot on goal in the second period. Nashville became the first team to hold an opponent to zero shots in a period during a Stanley Cup Final since the NHL began tracking shots on goal in 1957-58. With forward Patric Hornqvist returning from an upper-body injury, Sullivan decided between playing forward Carl Hagelin or Guentzel, who did not have a goal in the seven-game Eastern Conference Final against the Ottawa Senators. Nick Bonino scored an empty-net goal with 1:02 remaining to make it 5-3. The Predators trailed 3-0 in the first period before scoring three times to tie the game. Ryan Ellis made it 3-1 with a power-play goal at 8:21 of the second period, Colton Sissons made it 3-2 with another power-play goal at 10:06 of the third period, and Frederick Gaudreau tied it 3-3 at 13:29 with his first NHL goal. Evgeni Malkin gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead with a slap shot on a 5-on-3 with 4:28 remaining in the first period before Conor Sheary made it 2-0 with 3:23 left. Sheary's goal was his first in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead with 17 seconds left when Bonino one-handed a shot on Pekka Rinne that deflected off Rinne's stick blade before bouncing off Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm and past the goal line. P.K. Subban seemed to give Nashville a 1-0 lead at 7:13 when his shot got past defenseman Brian Dumoulin and under Matt Murray's blocker. The Penguins challenged that Filip Forsberg entered the zone offside at 6:58 and the goal was disallowed after video review. Murray made 23 saves for Pittsburgh; Rinne made seven for Nashville.
* Matt Cullen passed to Guentzel in the neutral zone, which allowed him to charge forward before shooting over Rinne's glove.
* Murray denied a wrist shot from Mike Fisher that could have tied it 3-3 with 9:11 remaining in the third period, 43 seconds after Sissons cut Pittsburgh's lead to one goal. Murray didn't make another save until Forsberg took a wrist shot with 29 seconds left.
* Daley, who missed the 2016 Stanley Cup Final with a broken ankle, led Pittsburgh with four blocked shots.
* Fisher had an assist on Ellis' goal for his first point of the playoffs. He missed the previous two games because of an undisclosed injury. … Predators forward Colin Wilson did not play because of an undisclosed injury. … Guentzel leads the NHL with 10 goals this postseason. He became the fifth rookie in NHL history to reach double-digit goals in a single playoff. Malkin leads the League with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists). … Sullivan tweaked his lines with the Penguins struggling to gain possession in the offensive zone during the second period. Hornqvist moved to right wing next to Malkin, replacing Phil Kessel, who moved to right wing on the third line.
"It wasn't a perfect game, but we found a way and we know we've got a lot to improve on. … We'll go over it and make sure we're getting better with each game." Sidney Crosby said.
"You just have to stay positive, I think. You're getting the chances. … You just have to stay with it." Guentzel said.
"We weren't very good. We weren't very good. So, when you're playing a team like Nashville that has a balanced attack, you have to have some pushback. I didn't think, in the second period, that we had any pushback. … We just weren't very good."
"We felt in the last series that he might have been wearing down a little bit. So the coaching staff was trying to be proactive and trying to find ways to maybe cut his minutes a little bit so that we would get more productive minutes from him. And, quite frankly, to take a little bit of pressure off him." Sullivan said.
Game 2 - Penguins v Trashville Predators 4-1 - Wednesday, May 30, 2017
A span of 3:18 is all the Pittsburgh Penguins needed. It took them that long to score three times early in the third period, including twice in 15 seconds, to defeat the Nashville Predators 4-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena. Jake Guentzel's second goal made it 2-1 10 seconds into the third after his first tied it 1-1 with 3:24 left in the first. He has three goals in the series, including the game-winning goal in Games 1 and 2. Entering this series, Guentzel had not scored in eight consecutive games. Because of that drought, Sullivan nearly scratched Guentzel in Game 1, but decided to play him instead of forward Carl Hagelin. Three days later, Guentzel was again playing on a line with center Sidney Crosby and leading the NHL with 12 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Scott Wilson made it 3-1 at 3:13 before Evgeni Malkin pushed it to 4-1 on his first shot of the game 15 seconds later. Malkin leads the NHL with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) this postseason. Predators goalie Pekka Rinne was replaced by Juuse Saros after Malkin's goal. Rinne allowed four goals on 25 shots after giving up four on 11 shots in Game 1. Matt Murray made 37 saves for Pittsburgh. Patric Hornqvist scored at 6:48 of the third period, but the goal was overturned after it was ruled Matt Cullen was offside at 6:40. Pontus Aberg gave Nashville a 1-0 lead with 7:03 remaining in the first period. The Predators could have scored earlier during a 5-on-3 after Malkin was called for hooking and Chris Kunitz went off for cross-checking 9:36 into the game. An interference penalty against Mike Fisher made it 4-on-3 58 seconds later before each of the penalties were killed. Penguins forward Nick Bonino left after blocking a shot by Predators defenseman P.K. Subban. He missed the final 9:26 of the first period but returned for the second and played the rest of the game.
* Guentzel gathered the rebound of a shot by Bryan Rust and sent a wrist shot past Rinne's right pad for his second goal.
* Roman Josi had a chance to give the Predators a 2-1 lead after receiving a pass from Filip Forsberg. Josi one-timed a slap shot toward Murray, who lowered his glove to make the save at 8:29 of the second period.
* Aberg drove down the near wall, passed to himself through Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta, carried the puck above Pittsburgh's crease, and shot over Murray for his fourth point in the past four games.
* Forward Carter Rowney led the Penguins with seven hits and had two blocks.
* Guentzel's five game-winning goals this postseason are the most by a rookie in NHL history. … His 12th playoff goal surpassed Jeremy Roenick (Chicago Blackhawks, 1990) and Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins, 2011) for the second most by a rookie in a single postseason (two behind Dino Ciccarelli's 14 goals with the Minnesota North Stars in 1981). No rookie has led the NHL outright in playoff goals since the League took control of the Stanley Cup in 1926-27. ... Guentzel's 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) are the most by a United States-born rookie in one postseason (Joe Mullen had 18 with the St. Louis Blues in 1982). ... Guentzel's third-period goal was one second from the quickest goal to start a Cup Final period. Brian Skrudland of the Montreal Canadiens scored nine seconds into overtime of Game 2 against the Calgary Flames in 1986, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... A team that leads a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final 2-0 has won the series 45 of 50 times (90 percent). A team that takes a 2-0 lead at home has won 34 of 37 times (91.9 percent). ... Predators forward Colin Wilson missed a second consecutive game because of an undisclosed injury.
"I think this team has an inner belief that we can score goals. They've provided plenty of evidence for themselves to suggest that. I know our guys believe in their ability to finish, and so it's about making sure that if we don't get anything, we try to limit the opportunities of our opponents to the best of our ability. We're going to go through stretches of games where we might get a handful of shifts in a row where we don't get an opportunity. It's just about making sure that we continue to try to play the game the right way." Mike Sullivan said.
"It's crazy. You can't even put into words what it feels [like], but the ultimate goal is two more wins." Guentzel said.
"He's really smart. He has really good hockey sense, so he's able to read the play. He's in and around the net all the time. He knows when to get out of there and find a soft area to set up for a pass." Crosby said.
"It's always fun to score. We have emotion to keep going. When we score one, we don't stop." Evgeni Malkin
The Trashville Predators got their first Stanley Cup Final win, 5-1 in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Bridgestone Arena. Roman Josi had one goal and two assists for the Predators, and Pekka Rinne, who was pulled from a 4-1, Game 2 loss, made 27 saves. Josi scored on a power play to tie the game 1-1 at 5:51 of the second period. His slap shot from the right faceoff circle beat Matt Murray for his sixth goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, most among NHL defensemen. Josi is the first defenseman with at least three points in a Stanley Cup Final game since Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. Frederick Gaudreau gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 6:33 on a wrist shot from the slot. He took a pass from Austin Watson for his second goal. James Neal made it 3-1 with 23 seconds remaining. Viktor Arvidsson chipped the puck off of the back of the net, and Neal got to the rebound to score his sixth goal. Craig Smith pushed it to 4-1 at 4:54 of the third period on a breakaway. He intercepted the puck at center ice and beat Murray on the glove side for his first goal. Ekholm made it 5-1 on the power play at 13:10 on a slap shot. Jake Guentzel gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 2:46 of the first period on a rebound. Ian Cole shot from the point, and Guentzel beat Rinne for his 13th goal of the playoffs, one short of the postseason record for a rookie. The Predators have had 19 players score in the playoffs.
* Gaudreau's goal came 42 seconds after Josi's and was the result of a chip pass by Watson. Gaudreau shot around Cole and beat Murray.* Rinne made a pad save on Phil Kessel's shot and followed it up with a save on a rebound chance by Kunitz in the second period to preserve a 2-1 lead.
* Forward Harry Zolnierczyk, playing his first Cup Final game, drew a holding penalty on Justin Schultz that led to Josi's power-play goal.
* Smith's breakaway goal came after he got a turnover that was caused when Kunitz stick-handled the puck off Kessel's skate at center ice.
* Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each did not have a shot on goal for the first time together in a playoff game. … Guentzel trails Dino Ciccarelli, who scored 14 playoff goals as a rookie with the Minnesota North Stars in 1981. Guentzel's 20 points are one short of the rookie playoff record held by Ciccarelli and Ville Leino (Philadelphia Flyers, 2010). ... Guentzel is the first player to score in each of the first three games of a Cup Final since 1997 (Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings against Flyers). His four goals in the Cup Final are one short of that rookie record (Roy Conacher, Boston Bruins, 1939 against Toronto Maple Leafs; Brad Marchand, Bruins, 2011 against Vancouver Canucks). ... Nashville is 8-1 at home this postseason. ... The Penguins went 0-for-3 on the power play and had one shot on goal. They are 1-for-13 in the series. … Penguins forward Nick Bonino was scratched with a lower-body injury sustained in Game 2.
Game 4 - Trashville v Predators v Penguins 4-1 - Monday, June 05, 2017
Pekka Rinne showed he's back on top of his game by making 23 saves for the Nashville Predators in a 4-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators and Rinne improved to 9-1 at home during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Frederick Gaudreau scored his third goal of the Stanley Cup Final and second consecutive game-winning goal. Gaudreau gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 3:45 of the second period on a wraparound attempt. The goal was confirmed when play was stopped at 4:20 of the period for a video review. With the goal, Gaudreau became the second player to score his first three NHL goals in the Stanley Cup Final. The other was John Harms of the Chicago Black Hawks in 1944. Viktor Arvidsson gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at 13:08. It was Arvidsson's third goal of the postseason and first since Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round against the Blackhawks. Filip Forsberg scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-1 at 16:37 of the third period, his first point of the series. Calle Jarnkrok gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 14:51 of the first on a rebound. Craig Smith deflected a shot by Austin Watson, and Jarnkrok beat Matt Murray on the rebound for his second goal of the playoffs. The Penguins challenged for goaltender interference but the goal was upheld after video review. Sidney Crosby tied it 1-1 at 15:57 on a breakaway. He got behind the Predators defense and beat Rinne on a forehand-to-backhand move for his eighth goal. It was Crosby's first goal in a Cup Final since June 4, 2009, in Game 4 against the Detroit Red Wings.
* Arvidsson's goal came on a breakaway after he got behind the Penguins defense and received a pass from Fisher. He beat Murray on the glove side.
* Rinne made a save on a breakaway by Chris Kunitz at 3:28 of the second period to keep the game 1-1. Gaudreau scored the game-winning goal 17 seconds later.
* James Neal made a chip pass to Fisher from along the wall that led to Arvidsson's goal. He chipped the puck past Evgeni Malkin to Fisher, and Arvidsson finished the play.
* Penguins forward Nick Bonino came out for warmups but did not play. He has missed the past two games because of a lower-body injury. Forward Josh Archibald replaced Scott Wilson for the Penguins. … Subban blocked a shot by Malkin with his leg with 7:08 left in the third period. He returned to finish the game.
"Tonight we generated some really good chances, played on our toes a lot more. I think if we continue to do that it's going to give us a really good chance to win games. It's a game of mistakes, and we made a couple and they ended up in our net. On the other side, we couldn't take advantage of theirs." Crosby said.
"The only thing I would say is I thought a couple of the goals tonight, a couple of goals in the prior game, there were things that we could have done that were preventable. Let's put it that way. They were preventable. The breakaway goal to me is an example. We have to have a bit of awareness away from the puck. If we do that, it's a nothing play." Mike Sullivan said.
Game 5 - Penguins v Trashville Predators 6-0 - Thursday, June 08, 2017
The Pittsburgh Penguins are one win from defending their championship after defeating the Nashville Predators 6-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins have won each of their previous four championships on the road. They won the Cup last season with a 3-1 victory against the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 at SAP Center. The Predators won Games 3 and 4 at home after trailing 2-0 in the series. Matt Murray made 24 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs after allowing eight goals in his previous two starts.
Sidney Crosby had three assists to reach 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) this postseason. The Penguins scored three goals in the first period. After Crosby forced Ryan Ellis to take a holding penalty 50 seconds into the game while splitting the Predators defensemen and shooting off the left post, Justin Schultz made it 1-0 at 1:31 on the power play. Crosby passed to Schultz at the point, where he one-timed a slap shot past Pekka Rinne's glove. Bryan Rust extended it to 2-0 by backhanding a shot through Rinne's pads at 6:43. Malkin, who had two points (one goal, one assist), made it 3-0 with 11 seconds remaining. He leads the playoffs with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists). Juuse Saros replaced Rinne to start the second period. Rinne, who made six saves on nine shots, has been pulled in his past two road starts. Saros made 12 saves on 15 shots. Conor Sheary scored on Saros' first shot faced to make it 4-0 at 1:19 of the second period. Phil Kessel pushed it to 5-0 at 8:02, one day after Malkin predicted Kessel would end his six-game goal drought. Kessel hadn't scored since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Ottawa Senators. Ron Hainsey made it 6-0 with 3:20 left in the second. Ellis left in the second period because of an undisclosed injury. Laviolette did not have an update on Ellis' status after the game. Predators forward Colton Sissons received a match penalty for cross-checking defenseman Olli Maatta with 34 seconds left in the third period. A match penalty carries an automatic suspension until the play is reviewed by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
* Malkin retrieved the puck in the defensive zone before passing up to Kessel, who carried to the left circle. Kessel passed back to Malkin, who shot over Rinne's glove and into the right corner of the net.
"I thought the team played a pretty solid game overall. So, that helps a lot, obviously. But there are definitely things you can take from any game, no matter what happens. So I'll try to be better going forward. … Nothing in particular that I will share with you." Matt Murray
"We understand that the next one is going to be the hardest. So we're going to have to reset our mindset and be ready to play that game." Mike Sullivan said.
"There's still a lot of work to be done, but I like the way we played tonight." Crosby said.
* Malkin retrieved the puck in the defensive zone before passing up to Kessel, who carried to the left circle. Kessel passed back to Malkin, who shot over Rinne's glove and into the right corner of the net.
* With the Penguins leading 4-0, Roman Josi spun off Trevor Daley and took a wrist shot on Murray. The puck bounced up off Murray before he gloved it out of the air with 5:06 remaining in the second period and Predators forward Austin Watson skating toward the crease.
* Crosby dropped a pass to Guentzel, whose shot bounced to Crosby in the right circle. Crosby carried it below the goal line and backhanded a pass to Sheary for a one-timer past Saros.
* Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist played after missing practice Wednesday. He had an assist and four hits, which was second on the Penguins, one behind Malkin.
* The team that has won Game 5 in a 2-2, best-of-7 Cup Final has won the series 17 of 24 times (70.8 percent). … Guentzel had an assist for his 21st point (13 goals, eight assists),tying the rookie playoff record set by Minnesota North Stars forward Dino Ciccarelli (14 goals, seven assists in 1981) and equaled by Philadelphia Flyers forward Ville Leino (seven goals, 14 assists in 2010). ... Crosby has 20 Stanley Cup Final points, most in Penguins history, one more than Mario Lemieux. … Penguins forward Nick Bonino missed his third straight game because of a lower-body injury. … Predators forward Colin Wilson returned after missing the first four games of the series because of an undisclosed injury. He played left wing on the fourth line with center Frederick Gaudreau and right wing Harry Zolnierczyk.
"I thought the team played a pretty solid game overall. So, that helps a lot, obviously. But there are definitely things you can take from any game, no matter what happens. So I'll try to be better going forward. … Nothing in particular that I will share with you." Matt Murray
"We understand that the next one is going to be the hardest. So we're going to have to reset our mindset and be ready to play that game." Mike Sullivan said.
"There's still a lot of work to be done, but I like the way we played tonight." Crosby said.
Game 6 - Trashville v Predators v Penguins 2-0 - Sunday, June 11, 2017
The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched back-to-back championships with a 2-0 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena. Pittsburgh is the first NHL team to repeat since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. It is the fifth Stanley Cup title for the Penguins, and they have won each of them on the road. Sidney Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season in his third Cup victory. He finished the postseason one point behind teammate Evgeni Malkin with 27 points (eight goals, 19 points) in 24 games. Patric Hornqvist scored with 1:35 remaining in the third period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. The Penguins acquired Hornqvist in a trade with the Predators for James Neal on July 27, 2014. He said scoring the game-winning goal against his former team made it even more special.
Carl Hagelin scored an empty-net goal with 14 seconds remaining to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Rookie goaltender Matt Murray made 27 saves for his second consecutive shutout, fourth in the playoffs in his NHL career. He made 24 saves in a 6-0, Game 5 win. Colton Sissons appeared to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 1:07 of the second period, but the goal was disallowed because a whistle was blown. The Predators had a 5-on-3 power play for 32 seconds in the third period. Nashville was held to three shots on goal during four power plays.
* Murray made a save on a breakaway by Sissons in the second period. Sissons got behind the Penguins defense on a line change and tried to beat Murray on the glove side.
* Defenseman Brian Dumoulin had an assist and three blocks, and led Pittsburgh with 26:06 of ice time, including 5:17 shorthanded to help kill all four Nashville power plays.
* Crosby is the third player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in back-to-back seasons, joining Mario Lemieux (1991, 1992 Penguins) and Bernie Parent (1974, 1975 Philadelphia). ... Crosby, Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Kunitz and Kris Letang won the Cup for a third time with the Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017). ... Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is the first United States-born coach to win the Stanley Cup twice. ... Murray is the fourth goalie to close a Cup Final with consecutive shutouts, first since Terry Sawchuk of the Detroit Red Wings in 1952. Murray did not allow a goal for the final 146:26. ... Hornqvist's goal was the second latest (18:25) to win a Stanley Cup in regulation. Dave Bolland scored at 19:01 for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 against the Boston Bruins. … Penguins forward Nick Bonino missed his fourth game because of a lower-body injury. He revealed to the media that he broke his tibia in Game 2. ... Pittsburgh won 32 percent of the faceoffs in Game 6. … The Predators were shut out for the final 123:23 of the series. ... Defenseman Ryan Ellis played and was paired with Roman Josi. Ellis left Game 5 because of an undisclosed injury and did not participate in the optional morning skate Sunday.
"I think this feeling right here. You can't match this. It's what it's all about, and to be able to share that with a group of guys, a lot of them guys that you've played a long time with and understand how difficult it is and what you've had to go through and that kind of thing, share it with family and friends, that's what it's about. You have a small window to play and have a career. I feel fortunate, but I also understand how difficult it is, so you want to try to make the best of it." Crosby said.
"Yeah, for sure. This is where I've been playing most of my games and to win it and score that goal here, it couldn't end any better for me." Hornqvist said.
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