Nashville looked nothing like that team Thursday night, instead imitating deer frozen by headlights.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had goals from six different players as they dominated the Nashville Predators, going up 3-2 in the series.
On his first shift after the penalty, Crosby set up Conor Sheary for the fourth Penguins goal and his second assist of the night.
Gostisbehere scored four overtime goals over the course of the season, becoming the first National Hockey League rookie to do so, and set Flyers and National Hockey League records with a 15-game scoring streak from January 19 to February 20, 2016. Pittsburgh can also take some confidence in knowing they won the Stanley Cup a year ago in San Jose, California, so strolling around their opponent’s ice with the Stanley Cup is something they are used to doing. “He sets the tone right off the bat”. Center Colton Sissons was cleared to play after receiving a match penalty in Game 5, but has registered only one assist in the past four games.
But Malkin and Kessel couldn’t steal the spotlight from Crosby. Crosby later told the ref he didn’t mean to throw the bottle. The two renewed acquaintances on Thursday when they got tangled up behind the net.
Predator coach Peter Laviolette, who talked to The AP, didn’t put all the blame on Rinne.
The victory continued the trend in this series of the home team winning. I just think he understands it.
“I’m not sure any other city in the country could pull this off”, he said. “I have a better arm than that, anyway”. No one knows that better than the team trying to knock them out. I was trying to get out of there.
Crosby had this account: “He lost his stick, and he was doing some UFC move on my foot. I don’t know what it was”. “I’m not going to judge what’s over the line and what’s not”. “I don’t know what it was”. But what caught the eye of many was what preceded the goal, as a water bottle of all things hit the ice.
Crosby and Nashville’s P.K. Subban got in a tangle on the ice behind the Penguins net late in the first, with Crosby bouncing Subban’s helmeted head off the ice.
They have played extremely well at home in the playoffs, but the defending champion Penguins have a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup again, and they are going to be focused regardless of the fact the Preds will get overwhelming support from their fans.
Bettman-who’s no doubt mentally preparing himself for his annual booing while presenting this year’s Stanley Cup-must have been proud at how far we’ve come. “It’s a seven game series”. A third trophy would just add to an already great legacy, one that will be remembered much more than how polarizing he can be in some games. Pittsburgh has been risky like this all season, with multiple lines that are capable of scoring goals, but we haven’t seen production like this out of them during playoffs, and the reunion of Crosby with Sheary and Guentzel paid immediate dividends.
“When you have a guy who can elevate his play to that level, who is that determined, it’s fun to see”, said veteran forward Matt Cullen.
“We just played simple, moved the puck up quick and our forwards did a good job of using their speed and playing down low, hanging on to pucks”, Schultz said.