History was made Sunday evening at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. But unfortunately for the hosting team Nashville Predators, they ended up on the wrong side of history. The Pittsburgh Penguins would go on to successfully defend their Stanley Cup Championship and become the first team to hoist the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons since the 97-98 Detroit Red Wings.
This series certainly lived up to be one of the best Stanley Cup Final, not just one of the best Final series, but one of the best Stanley Cup Playoffs ever. You can bet that the Stanley Cup playoffs overshadowed the NBA Playoffs.
On one end of the ice, you had the #1 seeded Eastern Conference Champions and defending Stanley Cup Champs in the Pittsburgh Penguins. On the other end of the ice, you have the #8 seeded Western Conference Champs in the Nashville Predators making their Stanley Cup Final debut. No matter who won good Ol’ Lord Stanley(probably the most difficult trophy to win in all of sports) history was going to be made. You were going to see repeat champions or you were going see a team win Stanley for the first time in their team’s history. I bet you can figure out which one is which.
Game 1 May 29, 2017:
You could say this was on of the weirdest Stanley Cup openers in recent memory. The Pittsburgh Penguins got off to a pretty strong start in the first period putting up 3 goals in the last five minutes to Nashville’s 0, despite a controversial overturned goal that was made by P.K Subban do to “offsides” by Filip Forsberg.
However, the Nashville Predators would rally back in the 2nd period by putting up 1 goal of their own and leaving the Penguins without one shot in a period the first time in Pens history , making a game out of it. Then midway through the 3rd, the Predators would put up a second score, 4 minutes later, they would go on to tie the game up at 3.However Jake Guentzel would make the go ahead goal in the 3rd. Leaving an empty net for the Penguins that would eventually lead to an empty net goal, making the final score 5-3. Penguins take a 1-0 series lead on the fewest shots in Stanley Cup Final history, which is now 13.
Game 2 May 31, 2017:
Pittsburgh steals game 1 in Pittsburgh. The 1st period started off physical and fast paced. The first goal of the game didn’t happen until the 13 minute mark with a Predator goal to go up 1-0. However Guentzel, back at it again, slipping one by Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne to even the game going into the 2nd. The second period would be played pretty tight by both defenses and goaltenders, not allowing one goal to get by either goaltender.
At the beginning of the 3rd, the Penguins wasted little time to get started, with another goal scored by Guentzel in just 10 seconds of the start of the 3rd period. then the Penguins would tack on 2 more goals to win game 2. Now the series will be hosted by the Nashville Predators for the first time in its franchises history.
Game 3 June 3, 2017:
Nashville looks to rebound after a two game road trip loss in Pittsburgh. And right away, you can see that the Preds were back to the way they were that got them into the Stanley Cup Final series. The Predators would go on to win the game in dominating fashion 5-1. 5 different Predators would score for Nashville (Roman Josi, Frederick Gaudreau, James Neal, Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm). Jake Guentzel would be the lone goal for the Penguins in game 3.
Game 4 June 5, 2017:
Nashville looks to even the series at 2 games a piece. The first period would get off to a slow start for both teams, with the first goal with the first goal of the game not coming until the 15 minute mark by Calle Jarnkrok of the Nashville Predators. Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg of the Predators would score as well for the Nashville Predaotors. Sidney Crosby would be the loan man to put up a score for the Pittsburgh Penguins Making a final score of 4-1 Nashville Predators evening the series 2 games a piece, giving a new found confidence for the Nashville Predators going back to Pittsburgh.
Game 5 June 8, 2017:
That new found confidence that Nashville found going into game 5 in Pittsburgh, the Penguins got rid of it for Nashville very quickly by scoring an early power play goal at the 1:30 mark of the first period by Justin Shultz.
Sidney Crosby played his best game of the series. Using his signature speed, along with his passing skills and his scoring prowess that makes him the best in the biz to help his Penguins absolutely flat out embarrass the Nashville Predators out of PPG Paints Arena into game 6 with a 6-0 shutout. 6 different Penguins scored in this game (Ron Hansey, Engeni Malkin, Conor Sheary, and Phil Kessel) along with the Justin Shultz goal mentioned earlier.
Game 6 June 11,2016:
There was not much to this game. Although this game just couldn’t be without some controversy. And we got that almost immediately into the second period when a rebound put back in for goal by Colton Sissons. However referee Kevin Polluck blew the whistle to cause the play dead due to losing the puck inside the crease.
This game was played very tightly by both defense’s and probably the best goaltending of the series on both ends, especially on Murray’s end for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The game was all knotted up at 0 with a minute and a half left in the 3rd until a Patric Hornquis goal gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead late in the 3rd. Which would soon be followed by an empty better with 19 seconds remaining to give the Pittsburgh Penguins it’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Championship.
Many congratulations go out to the Piitsburgh Penguins’ organization on their history making moment. You were clearly the better team. Some would say “luck”. I would call it a team that’s been there. You know what it takes to win in a do or die situation and you proved that game’s 5 and 6.
As for the Nashville Predators, you now have a taste to what it’s like to play for Lord Stanley. You overcame all odds, you proved the doubters (even this one) wrong, at the very beginning of your historic playoff run, that anything is possible. You swept the #1 seed in the West in the Chicago Blackhawks, leaving the hockey world stunned and on alert that you were for real and not to be taken lightly. You made it further than any #16 seed has made it. That is something to be very proud of. Your motto is “Stand with us”. You had not just Nashville, you had the entire state of Tennessee Stand With You. Not just this state but countless other fans around the country and overseas Stand With You. Now that is something to be proud of. You left Bridgestone with a heavy heart, but you should have also left with confidence that you can achieve the ultimate reward in your sport.