Predators 5 – Penguins 1
(PIT Leads series, 2-1)
Winning three straight Stanley Cup Final games is very difficult to do.
Few should be shocked to see the Predators climb back in the series with a 5-1 win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night.
For the Penguins they saw the Predators turn the tables on them.
Jake Guentzel scored 2:46 into the game, his NHL leading 13th goal of the playoffs and the Penguins held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
A road game in the Stanley Cup Final against a team that was going to be pretty much fighting for their lives, you’ll take a lead after one in that atmosphere.
Nashville, though, would breakthrough in the second period with goals 42 seconds apart from Roman Josi and Frederick Gaudreau to take their first lead of the game and a James Neal goal with 22 seconds left in the second period was a crusher.
Pittsburgh was vulnerable to odd-man rushes all game and none more evident than in the third period when trailing by two goals.
A Craig Smith UNASSISTED breakaway goal, 4:51 into the third period off a miscue at center ice between Chris Kunitz and Phil Kessel would be the dagger and pretty much end any hopes of a Penguins comeback.
The Smith breakaway goal was the Penguins sixth odd-man rush at that point (44:51 of game played) and the second breakaway chance allowed in the period.
There were concerning aspects again with the Penguins play.
Nashville’s speed continues to overwhelm the Penguins through the neutral zone and tonight the Predators got results off the Penguins breakdowns and poor puck management. Pittsburgh was also a possession nightmare for the third straight game, something they’ve overcome for much of the playoffs but is still a storyline.
The Penguins have a 2-1 series lead because of quick strike offense and goaltending. None of those factors were able to bail Pittsburgh out tonight.
Strength (Penguins high-end forwards) vs strength (Predators blueline) was also decidedly in the Predators favor in Game 3.
Roman Josi a goal, 2 assists and 6 shots, was the best player on the ice.
Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby were held without a shot. Pittsburgh is still waiting for Phil Kessel to show up this series.
Still, the first period should be looked at as a period of what might have been.
The Penguins got the early lead with the Guentzel goal and Pekka Rinne was once again fighting the puck. There was a dump-in from center ice he couldn’t handle properly and the opportunity was there for Pittsburgh to jump on Rinne but the Penguins let him off the hook.
They managed just six shots in period one and 4 shots in the final 17 minutes of the period.
What played out was Rinne getting more comfortable and gaining more confidence as the game progressed, especially after the Predators got the lead.
The Penguins power play haunted them from building a multi-goal lead in the first period and there’s a good chance this game might have went in another direction if Pittsburgh could have delivered on the man-advantage.
Getting a shot on goal might have helped.
[Up 1-0, Carl Hagelin draws a holding penalty and a golden opportunity for the Penguins to pad their lead to 2-0.
The Penguins get 0 shots on the power play.
12:44 of the first period, a Predators too many men penalty.
The Penguins gets 0 shots on the power play.]
Pittsburgh 0-3 on the power play in the loss, had one power play shot. The Predators had 5 shorthanded shots as the Penguins shot differential when on the power play was minus-4.
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Murray, is the mental one now. Get a FRICKING glove side!!! Unreal!!
Sam thinks Murrays has a good glove
Remember that’s our future in net!!! we are screwed sorry have no faith in Pedro the Glove. Those are stops MAF would have stopped.
Amen, brother!
Power play let them down again. We are playing like it’s our first cup.
What a fucken stupid play by Hainsey. Jesus Christ that one is unacceptable.
Yoda would be crucifying Fleury for that goal. But surprisingly he’s quiet. Schultz had a nice view just standing there.
That goal is Kunitz’s fault
Ugh… that’s another iffy one.
Why did the Pens trade Neal again? Oh yea…
Crawl back to your little hole you Fat Slob
Virginal sighting!
He technically isn’t a virgin anymore remember… samdiegopittfan accepts blowjobs from him
Sid sighting!
Well, Nashville didn’t see him apparently lol
Holy **** that was gorgeous. Crosby answering the criticism! Good on him!
Dumo in on that play… I dunno guys, if I’m the Pens I really think I’d go with what is virtually the consensus from everyone you could have possibly asked and protect Dumo for sure.
Sid needs to reel it in, he looks good but he cannot let Subban cause a meltdown. Best they’ve looked in games so far
Great kill!
Archibald in and Sam still sucks
I like the move and I will double down by throwing samdiegopittfan on that list of people that suck all the Dixon Cox
“BTW the Pens would be crazy to trade Sidney Crosby at the expansion draft” – There, I can do it too. #imasource
What you are is an idiot.
Sorry, you’re not an idiot, you’re a tattletale.
Look who’s dropping multiple posts now… you hypocrite lol. You sammich and yoda, the three retarded musketeers haha.
You’ve gone out of your way to earn your membership in that group as of late. Must burn you up too because I know you see how fucken dumb they are.
Now go ahead and tell me more about how what I did was bad while blowing yoda for the same shit, at least I’m not a fucken idiot haha, your words ;). Such a mook
#gladlyacceptsbjsfromvirginalbandwagonchildren
Fake Canadian
Wanna be American
#fakeasspensfan
#wannabecanadian
D has 0 lineup updates?
Bonino?
Yeah – but the NBA Final score from last night is up, so….
Murrays glove is doubtful for tonights game
They sent Sid to look for Murray’s glove.
LMAO
Hearing Sid is a gametime decision. Hopefully he can show up tonight.
Hopefully for once you don’t turn off your TV mid way game
we call that the sammich waltz… after “closing their TV” they need to publicly denounce the Penguins and hope for a loss while openly cheering for another team. Those are all the steps.
3 goals in 22 finals games. Wouldn’t hold my breath. He’s doing all the little things though – like going off at 35% on face offs.
Add to this… 1 goal in his last 19 finals games
Let the record show Samdiegopittfan basically agrees with yoda and Sam… thinks he knows this game more than the rest of us! everywhere else he challenges thumbs downs records lol
Yeah and you agree with Npl and stain two of the worst that can possibly watched the game or tried
Stan has shown he’s probably forgotten more about the game than you know and NPL is fucken hilarious, guys got you in puppet strings and when he talks the game he clearly gets it. You want the Pens to lose and think PK isn’t missed in Montreal #fakeasspensfan
Zerooooo, im fucklng blushing over here!
That happens when you’re getting an internet BJ from a guy in Edmonton (happened to me too)
Please samdiegopittfan we know you prefer your virtual BJs from retards in quebec and what ever hole yoda crawls from.
Here comes the cookie cutter Sammich reply,. Take it away samdiegopittfan
I’d gladly accept a BJ from Sam but you’re still the best Zero.
Oh my god that is sick. Sam is just a child.
Virginal BJ. I can’t imagine that would go well.
Ya I bet, I am sure you are more than willing to reciprocate. You two do share insults “like the top bunk in a two man cell!”
That’s cute
Thumbs up zero
Zero, I gave you a thumbs up and you thumbs down me. Come on!
Isn’t it cute when they bound together against the intelligent world like 3 morons= 1 genius. I think we should call DC Comics and pitch them these 3 as villians, the could call them The Legion of Dumb.
Jay, I want to congratulate you on being a lot pithier since you changed your username
Love Malkin’s comment that the players on the PP have to change.
Yeah maybe he needs to get off from my first pp group
Get off from your first pp? What a creepy little French thing to say.
Sams suggestion is get the most important player on the teams power play off of it hahaha… that’s a special kind of stupid, where have we heard this before?
So if it’s not malkin then it’s chubby you do know sid is not losing his spot to any of those 2 clowns.
I never suggested he should, in fact I haven’t suggested any should because it’s not the personnel but how they operate you dumbfuck. Again Sid hiding down low as opposed to making himself available isn’t helping at all. Schultz needs to do a better job getting shots through and Kessel needs to shoot more. Also I think Malkin and Schultz should switch up more than we usually see. Until behaviours like that change the Pp will continue to struggle. The high pressure from Nashville basically means one player should always be available with space, they need to move quicker to… Read more »
I love when you read Dejan’s columns and regurgitate on this site.
Yeah him and stain
I guess, I mean i can see how you need that pointed out to you by multiple outlets… considering that you think Malkin should be taken off the PP, have been part of the blow it up crowed until the cup win and think that Hainsey is killing this team despite them being 2 away from another cup without Letang.
Your claim to fame here is sharing/borrowing from sammich and coming to yodas rescue. You’re a fucken parody of the two biggest idiots on this page except your ego may be greater than both and it hilarious.
I don’t think you’d be so angry if you didn’t feel like you were stuck in Edmonton.
I do love how you think that means anything, everyone look at samdiegopittfan living it up in a city that allows his Mexican mail order stay close to home and support him… hands together
If you’re going to use Boxscores’ jokes get it right. I’m the Mexican mail order bride. #checkitouteveryone.
You keep fucken up his joke, that in itself is also hilarious…
3 goals in 23 finals games. Maybe the moment is too big for him
What’s really funny is that he constantly call Malkin a PP specialist(it takes a pp specialist to know a pp specialist) but now he’s saying he’s thr problem and needs to be off the PP(again Sam is an expert of knowing exactly when to get off the pp). He so dumb he can’t even follow his own stupidity.
I always thought those creepy French guys were more about getting on the pp than getting off it.
Sammich, still waiting to hear about how excited you are the Pens lost? #fakeasspensfan
Feel free to share some of your favorite Yoda quotes about goaltending while he spends his day taking a ride on the Excuse Express to Fraudsville.
It’s not about the saves the goalie makes, it’s about the goals he let’s in and he let in 3 turds…yoda
Nothing else matters when your goalie has an .848sv%, you have no chance to win…yoda
Seriously not 1 mention of Murray’s glove hand, his .848sv% in the game or the 3 turds he let in. This site should be renamed The Fraud on Pittsburgh sports.
Sam’s Mom must still be banging her guys from last night. Sam and his multiple posts because Mommy hasn’t made his breakfast yet. Please Sam’s mom, put the dickk down!
Funny how Yoda and probably sully sees Murray loss. Murray lost because of the team in front didn’t perform good right? .yet when fleury was pulled Vs sens it was fleury’s fault and never saw the crease again. Little that they know if it wasn’t for fleury this team would’ve been golfing since jackets series
I know most bandwagons here won’t agree and box score matters. This year’s pens are lucky they have the luck on their side for every round. This team is not even suppose to be in the final
Box Score? But just yesterday you were trying to sa PK was basically a non-factor, that would only be the case in a box score argument. He’s being lauded by most publications for his shut down work lol.
I was speaking in your own box score language
You don’t know how to speak any language except the language of the white flag… even the actual French think you people are heathens ruining the dialect lol.
Hey Sammich, have you been able to piece together the correlation between Subbans icetime and the shot totals of players like Crosby yet?
Last I checked he did better then your Russian you agree?
Clearly but “the Russian” has carried this teams offence vs someone like Sid, has two goals this series whereas Subban, who Montreal misses deeply, has shut Sid down and maintained that incredible 11 goal over 82 game pace “the Canadian” has in the finals. Anyway you need to do a better job containing your excitement that the pens lost #fakeasspensfan
…. last I checked
#lockerroomcancer
Murray blowing the series. Yoda and Maloni 69ing each other. Seems familiar. Btw, Sid has 3 goals in 23 Stanley cup final games. Let that sink in.
For perspective Mario had 10 in 10 lol
The best was the poll the put up before the game for Pens players and the Conn Smythe. They had Sid over Jake and Geno. What a joke. Sid was invisible last night. I can see him getting frustrated with PK. It started last game.
DePaoli is a die heart Murray fan #Root4Logo #Root4BiggerGlove
Yoda never minds when Murray doesnt use a glove
I guess the momentum off of that one Murray save last series finally wore off.
Hainsey is a nightmare. Better off with streit. He can’t possibly be worse.
Wonder what Hainseys glove hand is like
You looking for a hand job?
Been awhile…. does yodas dickk taste like you remember?
BTW – Pens would be crazy to expose Dumoulin to the expansion draft. Let Olli go.
Can’t recall too many credible sources suggesting they won’t protect Dumo
Can’t recall too many credible sources backing anything maloni has ever said. #zatkoff
i agree Sullivan isnt a credible source.
“He helped us win” We all realize by now how bad you struggle with plain english, very sammich like which is not surprising these days, but Sullivan had no choice but to ice Zatkoff after he screwed up with his starter… Zak won the 1st one and was lit up in the second. Those are irrefutable facts
“BTW the Pens would be crazy to trade Sidney Crosby at the expansion draft” – There, I can do it too. #imasource
I am the source you moron. Unlike you I’m not looking for others to tell me what to think. One of Dumo, Schultz or Maatta will be exposed, assuming the protect Letang
BAHAHAHAHA “I am the source” but you’re a fucken idiot. The point you missed is that Dumo is going to be protected. Nearly every outlet agrees to this so your basically talking from your ***… again. HAHAHA fucken moron lol. That noted a lot of talk about 8 and 1 means all four would be protected… lol so dumb
You don’t necessarily have to expose any of them – and I wouldn’t. Far better off exposing Hornqvist and Hagelin.
Gotta get shittbag Kessel off Malkin’s wing.
#Powerplaysmatter
No mention of Murray at all? Not 4 goals to his glove side? I guess you’re afraid to make a comment about the teachers pet.
You are clueless if you think murray was a problem. The pp is garbage and Malkin kessel and Crosby were garbage. Anyway, all you cultists can have fun and demand your Saint for next game. Guess what, Murray is in for the duration. He gets 20 playoff wins with Dryden and Roy and you want him ousted. This is a weird sports town.
Hahahaha, yodalling at its finest. Your hypocrisy is so fucken transparent you should be embarrassed! If this was MAF you’d be losing your ****. Fucken loser… was it all on Murray? Of course not you stupid cuntt fucken moron, we are getting at you the way you do MAF. Kill your fucken self you fucken loser!
That said, Murray got raped glove hand tonight regardless! Fuckk you hypocrite
need to do something about that anger
I’ve tried but intolerable stupidity rules the net… yoda isn’t alone either
He is his true colors are showing unless he fixes that glass body and Pedro Alvarez glove hand.
Betting we’ll see Fleury again if Pens get steamrolled in game 4.