03 June, 2017
It was the morning of Game 2, but the Nashville Predators goalie was somewhere else entirely.
A lot of goaltending is played between the ears. The Penguins turned a 1-1 game into a rout by scoring three goals in the first 3:28 of the third period, forcing Nashville coach Peter Laviolette to pull star goaltender Pekka Rinne for rookie Juuse Saros.
Jake Guentzel has scored his second goal of the night to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead early in the third period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against Nashville. You typically don't see numbers like that in the playoffs when games become tighter and goals are harder to come by.
After the Pittsburgh Penguins chased him from the net in a 4-1 win on Wednesday, he might want to get back to that happy place again. "We have to put it behind you".
"For me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity", Rinne said "I've played a long time and this is my first time having a chance to play for the Cup". The Pens scored five goals on just 12 shots in Game 1 as Rinne surrendered four goals on 11 shots.
Rinne, who had previously not lost two in a row in these playoffs, allowed four goals on 25 shots. And this is not the same Rinne. From left, Brooke Staudt, of Munhall, Pa., and Maureen Sams and Pierce Sams, of Carnego, Pa., wait in the rain outside PPG Paints Arena before Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the. The Penguins lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. "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".
Game 3 is Saturday in Nashville.
Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne entered the Final matchup leading all National Hockey League netminders in wins (12), goals-against average (1.70) and save percentage (.941). "We're looking at ourselves". We're down 2-nothing. We're coming back in our barn, and we don't lose here. "But we know the ultimate goal is two more wins and they're going to be tough to get".
Because of it, chatter has run rampant of late that Guentzel has a shot at winning the Conn Smythe, the playoff MVP trophy, and he has been the feature of many profiles of late.
The 22-year-old tied the game 1-1 in the opening frame and then sparked the third period avalanche by beating Rinne 10 seconds in.
Penguins center Nick Bonino has left the game after blocking a shot from the Predators' P.K. Subban in the first period. Nashville is 7-2 in the playoffs when scoring first, and this time it counted after a coach's challenge for offside wiped out a goal that would've given the Predators the lead in Game 1.
Murray, who had the crowed chanting his name after stretching out to rob Filip Forsberg of a sure-fire goal, redeemed himself as the game wore on.
That wasn't the end of the Penguins' quick start in the period.
With less than four minutes remaining in the first, Game 1 hero Guentzel tied things up when he followed up a Conor Sheary rebound and snuck a backhand through Rinne's equipment.
An unheralded third round pick who grew up in Minnesota, Guentzel also sits directly to Crosby's left in the Penguins dressing room, a purposeful move by head coach Mike Sullivan, who likes his rookies to watch and learn from the captain.
Guentzel was already leading all players in goals this post-season, his 12th marking the second-most ever for a rookie.
If there's any consolation for the Predators, it's that their gameplan has actually worked to a large degree through two games.
Just 15 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin scored off of a two-on-one, firing a flawless shot over Rinne's glove for a 4-1 lead.
"He's the reason why we're here", Fisher said. Boston did the same thing against Vancouver in 2011, also a seven-game series.
Too busy for Rinne and the rest of the Nashville Predators to keep up with the surging defending Stanley Cup champions. But it was something that Evgeni Malkin reportedly said to the Nashville Predators defenceman that sparked a late-game fight.
"There's no question", Subban said Thursday. That's it. It's done. "The environment has been really good since I've been here", said Laviolette.