03 June, 2017
Rinne was pulled from Game 2 after the Penguins scored three goals on their first five shots of the third period in a span of three minutes, 18 seconds to snap a 1-1 tie and take a 4-1 lead at 3:28. "Not probably, it has been our best period of the series".
Pittsburgh vowed to put more pressure on Rinne than it managed in their 5-3 victory in Game 1, a win they managed despite going 37 minutes without throwing a single puck Rinne's way and none in the second period, the first time that's happened since the National Hockey League started tracking shots in 1957.
Don't get me wrong, opportunistic is absolutely a skill, and the Penguins have perfected it. Those mistakes ended up going back in our net.
"I don't think we've played our best".
There is no doubt that the Pens will face a hard task dealing with that crowd, but they have had their way with Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.
Murray had the fifth-highest even-strength save percentage (.932) in his first full National Hockey League season - trailing only Anderson and the Vezina trophy finalists, Sergei Bobrovsky, Carey Price and Braden Holtby. But Rinne is clearly fighting the puck, and the slump is coming at the worst possible time.
The reigning champion Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, which shifts to Nashville for Game 3 Saturday.
I should say, this is a penalty that went uncalled in Game 2.
"They've been great", he said of his teammates, "when all the [media] questions are like 'somebody died'". The Omaha, Neb. -born Guentzel was raised in the Minneapolis suburb of Woodbury, while Murray grew up six hours around Lake Superior in Thunder Bay, Ont. After all, the guy has been the net-minder for Nashville for 11 years now. Marie Greyhounds. When he was in his second year, ready to be the No. 1 goalie, then Greyhounds general manager Kyle Dubas (now an assistant GM with the Toronto Maple Leafs) traded for Jack Campbell to be the starter.
The Pekka Rinne we all watched stop 38 of 41 shots against the Anaheim Ducks in the series clinching win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final hasn't been seen in over a week in a half. Guentzel now leads the playoffs with 12 goals and 19 points (also an American rookie playoff record).
Guentzel was a stick boy when Penguins forward Phil Kessel played at the University of Minnesota, where Guentzel's dad was an associate coach.
The Predators have come closest to dominating for the entirety of a game in the Final, shutting down the Pens for much of Game 1 and sticking right with Pittsburgh until early in the third period in Game 2. The Predators haven't been flawless - they gave up too many odd-man rushes in Game 2 -- but they've still been very good. "We've just got to focus on those things that we can control, and that's going to be our competitive level, our attitude, our execution, all of those things within our control".
Guentzel has plenty of confidence in his game. Friday's practice indicated the Penguins will turn to another jack-of-all-trades, Carter Rowney, if they find themselves in need of a center for Game 3.
Pontus Aberg scored the lone goal for the Predators, who were once again undone by a sudden barrage from the NHL's highest-scoring team. He has scored one goal in 11 playoff games. Now he's the biggest reason the Predators head back to "Smashville" for Game 3 on Saturday night reeling. "When he has the ability to make a difference by making a big play at a key time, he tends to do that".
