PITTSBURGH, PA – If you were able to get an honest answer out of the Predators as to how the Stanley Cup Final has gone for them, they would probably tell you they should have won it in a sweep by now.
Short of a four-minute span at the end of the first period in Game One and a six-minute span early in the third period of Game Two, the Predators dominated in the series’ first two games. When the series shifted to Nashville with tens of thousands of fans cheering the team on from outside Bridgestone Arena, the Predators dominated as goaltender Pekka Rinne returned to form, holding the Penguins to just one goal in each of the games.
Through the first four games of this tied series, Nashville boasts eleven different goal scorers in the Final with rookie Frederick Gaudreau accounting for three of them.
On defense, Nashville is getting offense from their top four blueliners, accounting for 11 of the club’s 37 total points in the series. They are moving the puck quickly up ice with speed and crisp passes to the front three, while Pittsburgh has often struggled with Nashville’s seed, relying on chipping the puck off the glass to relieve the pressure, often leading to icing calls and neutral zone turnovers.
While goaltending was an issue for Nashville in the first two games, it seems to no longer be an issue. Pekka Rinne allowed 4 goals on 11 shots in Game One while in Game Two he allowed 4 goals on 25 shots. A change of scenery to a friendlier crowd seemed to turn the tide.
Rinne stopped 27 of 28 shots to put a grip on Game Three and then 23 of 24 shots including a dozen game-saving stops to knot up the series. If he can continue this ride on enemy ice, the Predators will just need to score a few goals.
Special team play is another element where Nashville has dominated. They have scored with the man advantage on 4 of 12 chances, going 2 for 2 in both Game One and Game Three. The real bright spot, though, is on the penalty kill, where Pittsburgh has had 16 chances, but have scored just once, this when the Predators were two men down late the first period of the series’ opening game.
The Final is now a best-of-three series, where each team has won their home game. Nashville has proven they can skate with the Penguins and if they can play a complete game, as they nearly did in the first two games, Pittsburgh could be looking at an elimination game on Sunday night.
It is important to note that the team that has won Game Five after a split of the opening four contests of the Final has gone on to capture the Stanley Cup 17 of 24 times (70.8%) since the series adopted the best-of-seven format in 1939.
However, the club that has lost Game Five has rebounded to win the series in four of the past eight such occasions (all since 2001 – 2001 COL, 2004 TBL, 2009 PIT and 2011 BOS).
Game Six moves to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Sunday night. The potential Cup-clinching night will take place on the same weekend as the CMA, country music’s biggest night.
If necessary, Game Seven is back at PPG Paints Arena Wednesday night. Both games start at 8:00 PM (ET).
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