PITTSBURGH, PA – when the final two NHL teams face-off against each other in the fourth round, there is an expectation of some of the best hockey of the year about to play out. Game 1 was nothing of the sort and that has left the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators contemplating their next moves for Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Nashville came out early at the drop of the puck clogging the neutral zone and edging in on the attack slowly, but confidently in the first few minutes. The effort stymied the home team leaving them frustrated and pushing a dominant strategy on the favored team.
Had it not been for the reversal of an offside play wiping out a P.K. Subban goal (which was absolutely the right call, even if it took video review to get it right), we might have had a different game. Not long after that pivotal moment, Pittsburgh, on a two-man advantage for two minutes, took the lead on the strength of Evgeni Malkin slapper. Four minutes later the Penguins had a 3-0 lead.
As a trademark style of Peter Laviolette-coached teams, gritty Nashville battled back to make it 3-3. Slowly, but surely battling back, the Predators showed a resiliency not often displayed by team. But not all of the pieces fell into place.
From the time of that third Pittsburgh goal until they scored again, Pekka Rinne went 37 game minutes without a shot on goal, meaning it was actually about 90 minutes without facing a shot, leaving him perhaps a little unprepared when those shots resumed.
Luke Guentzel did his part in reminding Rinne what he had been missing at the other end when he zipped a snap shot over the netminder’s glove-side shoulder and under the bar for what proved to be the game-winner.
Photo By : Brianna O’Mara
So what can we expect for Game 2?
It seems you can count on similar play from Nashville who dominated the Penguins on for 54 of the game’s 60 minutes. The Predators seemed to frustrate Pittsburgh early on, preventing any flow from the speed Penguin attack. Nashville presented a 1-2-2 structure to defend against Pittsburgh and it offered the Penguins very little room to penetrate the Predators defense.
Photo By : Brianna O’Mara
Of all the firepower among Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, the trio yielded just 4 of the team’s season-low 12 shots. Only one hit the mark, Malkin’s game-opening goal with the man advantage.
Photo By : Brianna O’Mara
On the other hand, Nashville had their chances amassing 26 shots with a balanced attack in each period. Matt Murray kept the game scoreless until Ryan Ellis converted on the power play more than 28 minutes into the game.
I can see the game being a little more physical from Nashville’s side. There has to be a little anger toward not capitalizing on a game they should have won, even though it was their first Cup Final game. Nashville was close to solidifying victory in Game 1 and they know they can take Game 2 if they play the game they played Wednesday night.
But Pekka Rinne has to be better in goal. Regardless of the long delay in shots faced in the middle of the game, he has to make those saves. He has demonstrated this Spring he is among the NHL elite, but Game 1 didn’t show it. His ability to appear big in net and be quick on his lateral moves from post to post will be a key to a Nashville victory Wednesday night.
Photo By : Brianna O’Mara
As for Pittsburgh, they are lucky to lead the series. They did about all they could to give the game to Nashville. I couldn’t find anywhere where a team went 37 game minutes without a shot on goal. The Penguins cannot let that happen again.
But key to reversing last game’s absence of shots is that Pittsburgh will have to be quicker on the outlet passes. Those connections must be of shorter distances to break through Nashville’s 1-2-2 formation. Time and time again, particularly in the game’s first 12 minutes, Pittsburgh couldn’t get out of their zone.
An answer to Nashville’s defensive approach might be what I witnessed yesterday and today the Penguins players were working on their precision passing and speed with quick, crisp connections across the ice, moving the puck out of the zone with more zip and being lightning-fast in going to the net for a scoring chance.
The Penguins cannot win without that disciplined precision because the Predators won’t allow it any other way.
I still anticipate this to be a long series. Nashville has plenty of fight in them and any sort of overconfidence by Pittsburgh heading into the opening game has been left off the ice. This will be quite a series and it gets started back up again tonight.
Games Three & Four shift to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Saturday night and Monday night at 8:00 PM (ET).
Follow me at DMMORRELL and you can contact me at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.