If you have not been watching the Stanley Cup Final, you truly are missing out on quite a final series. Forget the watered down NBA Finals, you will be more entertained and at the edge of your seat from the first puck drop until the final horn in every game.
History is being made in the quest for Lord Stanley between the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins. You could see Pittsburgh repeat as champs, becoming the first team in 19 years to do so.
On the other end, you might see Nashville bring Lord Stanley to Nashville for the first time in their franchise’s history.
We have seen 4 games played in this 2017 Stanley Cup Final with Pittsburgh winning the first two meetings, both being home games for them. Nashville hosted their first two ever Stanley Cup Final matches in Games 3 and 4, with Nashville getting both W’s at home.
The statistics show that Nashville should have already won this series, but too many mistakes found them down 2-0 through the first two games. Of course, the lack of center Ryan Johansen does leave a bit of a gap to fill for their attack up-front, which played a role in Pittsburgh’s success.
On one side, you have the Pittsburgh Penguins who have two of the biggest superstars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Both of which have been almost ineffective the past two games. In Game 3, both superstars were held to 0 shots on goal. In turn, that shut down the majority of the offensive attack.
Much like past Stanley Cup Final Game 5’s, this one will be heavily crucial for both teams, essentially making it a best-of-3 series. The margin for error is now slimmer than before. The Penguins look to go home after a disappointing Games 3 and 4 in Nashville.
One thing to look at is the Penguins’ fatigue. Their last two series have gone to seven games, which may have taken a lot out of them going into this series.
If we’re going to make a prediction in Game 5, whoever wins will go on to win be taking home the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins will be hosting Game 5…
Yet, they should not find comfort in that.
The Predators out played them statistically in Pittsburgh. Of course, except in the one statistic that matters; the final score. Pittsburgh had Nashville making easy mistakes throughout Game One and capitalized.
Game 2 was a fairly even game but the 3rd period saw the Pittsburgh coming out guns blazing. They would score a goal within the first 10 seconds of the period. Pekka Rinne seemed shaken up and the Predators defense could not find a way to recover. The Penguins would go on to score two more goals within the next two minutes, which would cap off a 4-1 victory.
Pittsburgh is without a doubt the heavy favorite to win it. And if you are a numbers person, it must be comforting to know that the last four series that went more than 4 games, the Penguins have won game 5 and would eventually go on to win the series.
That can’t be settling for Nashville. Pittsburgh can’t come back home and play like they did the past 2 games in Nashville. Crosby and Malkin being non factors, power play offense was non existent.
One thing that would really help out the Penguins would be the much needed goal scoring from rookie sensation Jake Guentzel. He has 13 goals thus far in this NHL postseason, 3 of those coming in .
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsEhKiI7pp0
As for the Nashville Predators…
It’s time to state the obvious. They must steal Game 5 in Pittsburgh. If not, then the Stanley Cup may be out of reach. Yes, there will be two more games to be played, one in Nashville (Game 6), then back to Pittsburgh for game 7 (if necessary).
The Predators looked like themselves once again, coming back to Nashville and tying the series.
Rinne improved from Games 1 and 2, where he struggled against the Penguins attack. The Preds goalkeeper became the story of this year’s NHL postseason with his outstanding play, limiting the Penguins to just two goals in their home stand.
The Predators defense looked solid yet again, making Crosby and Malkin ineffective in Game 3. They did not allow either one a shot on goal the entire game, which hasn’t been done before in the playoffs as long as they have been teammates.
Game 5 looks go be a very intense, physical, and aggressive game. This will be the biggest game in Nashville Predators history because it could very well be the knife that goes right to their heart or could leave them on step away from glory.
Expect the Predators to play their absolute best but the Penguins have been here before. Experience could very well be the advantage the Penguins need.
Game 5 looks to be the next step towards the Penguins becoming the first team to go back-to-back in nearly two decades.
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