Cnotes 2017 Stanley Cup Championship Trends-Stats-Picks-News !

[CNOTES]

Monday's NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Betting Preview: Predators at Penguins


Pittsburgh is the first team to reach the Cup Final in back-to-back seasons since the Penguins in 2008 and 2009.


Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins (-165, 5.5)


Series tied 0-0


No team has won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles since 1998, a drought the Pittsburgh Penguins can end when they open the best-of-seven series against the visiting Nashville Predators on Monday night. The Penguins are the prohibitive favorites to hoist Lord Stanley's trophy at the expense of the upstart Predators, who are appearing in their first Stanley Cup Final.


Pittsburgh features the top three scorers in the postseason in Evgeni Malkin, captain Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel, and is the first team to reach the Cup Final in back-to-back seasons since the Penguins in 2008 and 2009, but the players are trying to push aside that historical narrative. "We don't want to worry too much about whether it's repeating or going back-to-back," forward Conor Sheary said. "I think we just want to come into this series and win another round. I think it's important to just worry about the next game, have a short memory and the first to four wins." Nashville was the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and posted the fewest points of any of the 16th playoff participants, but swept Chicago in the opening round before dispatching St. Louis and Anaheim in a pair of six-game series. "When the puck drops, we'll be ready to play. The guys are excited to reach this point," said the Predators' Peter Laviolette, who along with Penguins counterpart Mike Sullivan are the first American coaches to square off for hockey's top prize.


TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS


LINE HISTORY: The Penguins opened the betting as -140 home favorites and by Sunday night were bet all of the way up to -165. The total opened at 5.5 and has yet to move.


GOALIE MATCHUP: Pekka Rinne (NAS) vs. Matt Murray (PIT)


Rinne - GP: 16, W/L: 12-4, 1.70 GAA, .941 SAVE %, 2 SO
Murray - GP: 5, W/L: 3-1, 1.35 GAA, .946 SAVE %, 1 SO


INJURY REPORT:


Predators - RW C. Smith (Probable, lower body), C M. Fisher (Probable, eye), C R. Johansen (Out For Season, thigh), LW K. Fiala (Out For Season, leg).


Penguins - RW P. Hornqvist (Questionable, upper body), RW T. Kuhnhackl (Questionable, lower body), D C. Ruhwedel (Probable, concussion), D K. Letang (Out for season, neck).


ABOUT THE PREDATORS (53-32-9-4, 44-42 O/U): The daunting challenge of trying to match up against Crosby and Malkin is exacerbated by the absence of top-line center Ryan Johansen (thigh), lost for the rest of the playoffs after Game 4 against Anaheim. Colton Sissons stepped in for Johansen and supplied a hat trick in the series clincher against the Ducks, but the Predators will continue to rely heavily on Filip Forsberg, a 31-goal scorer during the regular season who scored five times against Anaheim and is riding a seven-game point streak. While No. 2 center Mike Fisher appears poised to return from injury, Nashville's strength is at the other end of the ice, with its top four defensemen -- Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm -- combining for a staggering 39 points in 16 playoff games. Still, the Predators' hopes likely hinge on 34-year-old Pekka Rinne, who is 12-4 with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage in the postseason.


ABOUT THE PENGUINS (62-26-8-5, 55-39 O/U): Malkin (24 points) and Crosby (20) are running 1-2 in the playoff scoring race and seemingly shine when the lights are brightest -- each has won a Conn Smythe Trophy -- but Malkin observed that Nashville's defense will provide the "toughest challenge of my life." Kessel notched six points in the seven-game series against Ottawa, but fellow 23-goal scorer Sheary has yet to tally in the playoffs while Jake Guentzel is mired in an eight-game goal drought after scoring nine times in the first 11 games of the postseason. Matt Murray, who backstopped Pittsburgh to a championship a year ago following a late-season injury to Marc-Andre Fleury, reclaimed the starting job from Fleury in the Ottawa series and went 3-1 with six goals allowed in his four starts. Forward Patric Hornqvist, acquired from Nashville in exchange for forward James Neal in June 2014, is a game-time decision after sitting out the final six contests against the Senators.


TRENDS:


* Predators are 6-1 in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Penguins are 5-0 in their last 5 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
* Under is 11-2-4 in Predators last 17 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Under is 8-1 in Penguins last 9 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Predators are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings.


CONSENSUS: 60 percent of users are siding with the home favorite Penguins and 60 percent of the totals wagers are on the Under.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel


Monday, May 29



Nashville @ Pittsburgh


Game 1-2
May 29, 2017 @ 8:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
13.754
Pittsburgh
12.235
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1 1/2
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-170
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(+150); Under








NHL
Long Sheet


Monday, May 29


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NASHVILLE (53-32-0-13, 119 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (62-26-0-13, 137 pts.) - 5/29/2017, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-2 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-2-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------







NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up


Monday, May 29


Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final; they won five of last seven games overall, splitting last four road games. Under is 6-2-2 in their last ten games- they haven’t played in a week. Penguins won Game 7 Thursday; they won last three home games by combined score of 11-2. Under is 4-2-2 in their last eight games. Pittsburgh is 8-2 in its last ten games with the Predators; last three series games went over total. Nashville lost four of last five visits here. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series.


Stanley Cup final
Nashville-Pittsburgh








NHL


Monday, May 29


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


8:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Nashville is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Nashville
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Nashville

 

[CNOTES]

MONDAY, MAY 29


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


NAS at PIT 08:00 PM


NAS +150


U 5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Tuesday’s six-pack


Updated odds to win the World Series:


5-1- Houston Astros


6-1— Chicago Cubs


7-1— San Francisco Giants


15-2— Boston Red Sox


8-1— Cleveland Indians


17-2— Los Angeles Dodgers


************************


Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but…….

13) I’m not real interested in how long baseball games last; I enjoy watching the game, but some people are bent out of shape because games are longer now. One easy way to shorten games; eliminate coaches’ visits to the mound. There’s your 5-7 minutes a game right there.


12) Last week, Marlins’ manager Don Mattingly put Giancarlo Stanton in the #2 spot in the order, which was surprising, but since then, Stanton is 11-26 with two walks, so he has gotten better pitches to hit in that spot. The two walks were last night; one was intentional.


11) Underrated: Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls coaching the Redskins; now he owns NASCAR teams and is a giant in that sport. Not many people have been so prominent in two different sports.


10) Mets’ OF Michael Conforto has impressive bloodlines; his mother won two gold medals in the Olympics in synchronized swimming. His dad played football at Penn State.


9) Was reading on SI.com where the Falcons’ new domed stadium will have 1,264 beer taps in it. The GeorgiaDome had 30 beer taps.


8) Miami Hurricanes missed out on the NCAA baseball tournament for the first time in 45 years; losing a series to Dartmouth isn’t good for your tournament resume.


7) Only four of the Braves’ first 49 games (2-2) have come against lefty starting pitchers.


6) In college basketball, Belmont has finished #1 in whole country in 2-point FG% four of the last five years; thats hard to believe, but they run lot of backdoor plays and get lot of layups. Still, with 351 teams in the country. to be #1 four out of five years is really impressive.


5) Astros (10 games), Nationals (8.5 games) have huge divisional leads; 2nd place in the NL East is 21-27, so thats a terrible division. 2nd place in AL West is 26-27. Those two teams will basically coast from here into the playoffs.


4) Second Wild Card in NL is 10 games over .500, so going to be hard to make the playoffs there. In AL, second Wild Card is only two games over .500, so a straggler now can get hot and become a contender.


This stuff will influence who is a seller when the trade deadline rolls around. Lesser teams in the National League are more likely to sell off veteran players than American League teams.


3) Astros 16, Twins 8— Minnesota led this game 8-2 after seven innings behind Ervin Santana, who has a 1.75 ERA. Twins’ bullpen then allowed 11 runs in the 8th inning, three more in the 9th- they faced 22 hitters- 16 of them reached base, 14 scored. Yikes.


Houston has a team like the Red Sox teams when they had Butch Hobson batting 9th when he knocked in 100 runs. You cannot outslug the Astros; very impressive lineup.


Elias Sports says that before Monday, Astros were 0-659 in franchise history when trailing by 6+ runs in the 8th inning. Now they’re 1-659.


2) Nationals 3, Giants 0— In the top of the 8th, reliever Hunter Strickland drilled Bryce Harper in the hip and a hockey fight broke out— a real donnybrook, a Pier 6 brawl. Harper got a couple shots in before both benches converged on the mound.


Seemed like there was some history there- they seemed to actually dislike each other— turns out Harper homered twice off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs; one ball went in the upper deck at Nationals Park, the other one landed in McCovey Cove. Only times they’ve faced each other, until Monday.


1) Mike Trout has a torn ligament in his left thumb, will miss a couple weeks unless surgery is needed, then it’ll be a lot more than that.
Share

 

[CNOTES]

Preds encouraged despite Game 1 loss in Stanley Cup Final
May 30, 2017


PITTSBURGH (AP) The first period of their first Stanley Cup Final game was a rough one for the Nashville Predators.


They had a goal waved off. They fell behind 3-0 and looked overmatched at times.


And then things settled down. Nashville dominated long stretches of the second and third periods, and even limited the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins without a shot for an impressive 37-minute stretch before falling 5-3. Game 2 is Wednesday night.


''I thought we outplayed them, I really did,'' Predators defenseman P.K. Subban said. ''Being down 3-0 to the Stanley Cup champions, coming back and tying it up with an opportunity to win the hockey game is definitely something to build on.''


Ryan Ellis scored in the second period and Colton Sissons in the third, both on the power play, before Frederick Gaudreau tied the game prior to Jake Guentzel's game-winner for Pittsburgh.


Pekka Rinne made seven saves on just 12 shots. He faced eight of those shots in the first period and then saw none in the second period, the first time a team held an opponent without a shot in a Stanley Cup Final since the league began tracking shots on goal in 1958. The next shot he faced was Guentzel's goal with 3:17 to play.


''At the end of the game, I'm disappointed I didn't help my team,'' Rinne said. ''We showed a lot of character and I felt we played a great game. They're a very opportunistic team, a high-skilled team, and we have to limit our mistakes.''


Nick Bonino scored twice, including and empty-net goal, while Evgeni Malkin and Conor Sheary scored in the first period for Pittsburgh. Matt Murray made 23 saves.


The Predators were a perfect 3-0 on the road in Game 1 during the playoffs. But they allowed three goals in the first period for just the fourth time this season, and now they trail for the first time in the Stanley Cup playoffs.


Nashville thought it scored the opening goal midway through the first period when Subban's wrist shot from the point got by Murray. But the goal was overturned and ruled offside after the first coach's challenge in a Final game.


''The impact of that moment and then the chain of events that happened after that with the penalty kills I think changed the course of the game,'' Predators coach Peter Laviolette said.


Pittsburgh was awarded a 5-on-3 power play for a full two minutes, and the Predators were less than 30 seconds from killing the penalty when Malkin's slap shot from the point beat Rinne. Sheary struck 1:05 after Malkin's goal, converting a wide-open look from the side of the net. And with just 16.1 seconds left in the first, Rinne poked Bonino's centering pass and the deflected puck bounced off Mattias Ekholm and into the goal.


''As bad as it seemed, we still found a way to get back into it,'' Predators' captain Mike Fisher said.


The Predators were hardly intimidated by the big stage. Nashville beat Chicago, the top seed in the conference, in a four-game sweep before taking down St. Louis and outlasting Anaheim.


Pittsburgh owns a massive edge in Stanley Cup Final experience, 156 games to just five for the Predators, all by Fisher, while playing for Ottawa. But Nashville entered the Stanley Cup Final playing comfortably and confidently, poise that was on display during points of the second and third periods.


Ellis scored a power-play goal through a Viktor Arvidsson screen midway through the second period, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Predators continued to press and they were rewarded on the power play when Roman Josi's shot from the point changed direction and banked off Sissons' knee at the top of the crease and behind Murray. Nashville tied it with 6:31 to play when Gaudreau scored on a feed from Austin Watson, who beat two Penguins behind the net to set up the goal.


From there, the Predators were rolling, with all the momentum from their three-goal comeback. Guentzel's shot changed everything.


''It just wasn't our night,'' Fisher said. ''We just have to stay positive. We'll regroup.''

 

[CNOTES]

NHL playoffs
Game 2


Pittsburgh didn’t get a shot on goal for 37:09 stretch in Game 1, still won 5-3. Nashville won five of last eight games overall- they’re 2-3 in last five road games. Under is 6-3-2 in their last 11 games. Penguins won last four home games by combined score of 16-5. Under is 4-3-2 in their last nine games. Pittsburgh is 9-2 in its last 11 games with the Predators; last four series games went over total. Nashville lost five of last six visits here. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final.


Stanley Cup final


Nashville-Pittsburgh
Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Date W-L-T % Units Record


Date W-L-T % Units Record


05/29/2017...................... 0-2-0.................... 0.00%............. -10.50




Best Bets:


Date......... W-L-T......Sides.................... %..............Totals..........Units


05/29/2017........... 0-1-0................. 0.00%.............0 - 1.......... -10.50

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday’s six-pack


Pac-12 basketball records, over the last four seasons:


Arizona: 59-13 Pac-12, 8-4 NCAA


Oregon: 53-19, 9-4


Utah: 46-26: 3-2


UCLA: 44-28, 6-3


California: 39-33, 0-1


Colorado: 35-37, 0-2


Stanford: 33-39, 2-1


Arizona State: 31-41, 0-1


Oregon State: 26-46, 0-1


Washington: 25-47, 0-0


USC: 24-48, 2-2


Washington State: 17-55, 0-0


*****************************

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings…….


13) Best part of the Strickland/Harper shenanigans Monday night was Buster Posey totally declining to get involved. Usually, the catcher tries to keep the angry batter away from the pitcher, but Posey made no such attempt.


Harper hit two very long home runs off Strickland in the ’14 playoffs (thats 2.5 years ago!!!) in their only two previous meetings. Guess something Harper did/said ticked Strickland off.


12) I like watching baseball when they have the strike zone on the right side of the screen, so we can see if the umps miss any pitches. To me, it makes the broadcast a little better.


11) Is Nick Markakis the best active player who has never been an All-Star? He has 1,945 hits, is a solid defender, has a .358 career OB%. You’d think he would’ve made one All-Star team.


10) Jeb Bush is out as part of the group trying to buy the Miami Marlins; apparently he had “only $20M” of his own money involved in the project, not enough to make him a controlling partner, which is what he wanted.


9) 10 of the 64 teams in the NCAA college baseball tournament are located in Texas.


8) Nike stock fell 19% last year, is up only 4% this year; with the NBA Finals starting this week, Nike didn’t need Cavs-Warriors being overshadowed by Eldrick Woods’ DUI arrest. Nike does not sell golf equipment anymore, but they still sell golf clothes, which Woods endorses.


7) Houston Astros are almost definitely going to be in the playoffs; I’m curious how they’ll deal with Josh Reddick playing against lefties (Price? Sale? Lester?) in playoffs/World Series.


Reddick is a career .270 hitter vs righties, .220 vs lefties (.282 OB%). A’s once pinch-hit for him in the 4th inning of a big game because the opponent put a lefty in. So far this year he is 7-25 (.280) vs lefties; maybe the change of scenery has helped him. We’ll see.


6) Kansas Jayhawks will have six transfers amongst their 13 scholarship players next winter; only three of them will be eligible next season. Makes team chemistry a little dicey.


5) David Blatt went 83-40 as coach of the Cavaliers in the regular season, went 14-6 in playoff games and got fired. Now he coaches overseas; I think he had just enough ego to have been a really good college coach, but we’ll probably never know.


Fact of the matter is, if Lebron James wakes up one day in August and wants Tyronn Lue fired, the man is as good as gone. Probably won’t happen, but it could.


4) Not a big fan of playing the infield in; just doesn’t seem necessary, unless the runner on third is really fast. Playing fielders in opens up too many cheap hits that wouldn’t happen with a more traditional defense.


3) Joe Niekro pitched in the major leagues for 22 seasons, had 973 career at-bats with a .156 BA and hit one home run— off his brother, Hall of Fame Phil Niekro.


2) A Saudi prince lost $359M in six hours playing poker at a casino in Egypt; he also sold off five of his nine wives as a way to reduce his debt.


I knew cats had nine lives; had no idea Saudi princes had nine wives.


1) I don’t care what anyone says, Bob Uecker should’ve won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role as Indians’ announcer Harry Doyle in Major League.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL playoffs
Game 2

Pittsburgh didn’t get a shot on goal for 37:09 stretch in Game 1, still won 5-3. Nashville won five of last eight games overall- they’re 2-3 in last five road games. Under is 6-3-2 in their last 11 games. Penguins won last four home games by combined score of 16-5. Under is 4-3-2 in their last nine games. Pittsburgh is 9-2 in its last 11 games with the Predators; last four series games went over total. Nashville lost five of last six visits here. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final.


Stanley Cup final


Nashville-Pittsburgh
Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Predators (41-29) at Penguins (50-21)
Date: May 31, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH -- It's normal for a playoff series to gain context over the first game or two or three.


You can probably throw that out the window with the Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, who meet Wednesday in Game 2 at PPG Paints Arena. After what happened in the series opener, it's anyone's guess in what direction things might be heading.


Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan called his team's 5-3 win Monday in Game 1 "bizarre."


Nashville coach Peter Laviolette found himself juxtaposing praise for the way his team played with this: "We hate the result. Right now we are 100 percent in a result-orientated business. I would rather be in their shoes. I would rather have that Game 1 win because you need four out of seven. Now it's down to six to try to grab the four."


The Penguins won, but weren't wholly happy because they blew a three-goal lead and went 37 minutes without a shot on goal. The Predators lost but seemed genuinely satisfied with the effort if not the outcome.


A lot of times, the team coming off of a loss will practice while a winning club will stay off the ice. The opposite happened Tuesday, with Pittsburgh holding a fairly well-attended optional skate.


Sullivan even was asked Tuesday if he believed in divine intervention or his team being some sort of team of destiny for winning games like that and overcoming a series of injuries this postseason.


"No, I don't think so," he said. "I think our team has an ability to win games different ways. One of the strengths of this team is the quick-strike ability. We can be opportunistic, and when we get high-quality chances we have some people that can finish."


That's a general description of the Penguins through Sullivan's eyes. Analyzing Game 1 specifically is more difficult.


"It's hard to kind of put a finger on why it turned out the way it did," said Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray, who made 23 saves. "I think we were just glad to get the win at the end of the night. ... I think it just came down to big plays at big times. Not a dominant performance, of course, by any means, but we got it done."


So both teams found reason to be optimistic, the Penguins because they are coming off a win, and the Predators because even in a loss they didn't stray far from their blueprint and believe they can bounce back to split the two games in Pittsburgh before the series shifts to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.


"I think our team has been tested many times this season, whether we've had guys out of the lineup or we've gone through rough patches," Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said. "We've always responded the right way."


In Game 1, it came down to Pittsburgh being able to beat Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne four times on 11 shots (the Penguins also had an empty-net goal).


Rinne is an elite goalie, a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and the team's longest-tenured player. He carried a postseason-best 1.70 goals-against average into the series.


But the Penguins have given him problems in the limited sample of nine games he has faced them. During the regular season in his career, he is 1-5-2 against them in eight starts, and his .880 save percentage and 3.57 goals-against average are his worst against any club.


"I expect him to bounce back," Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "He's a terrific goalie. He's been our MVP all year."


Then again, the way Game 1 went, there's no telling what might happen in Game 2.




NHL HEAD TO HEAD


May 29, 2017 Score ATS Results
NAS 3 Over: 8
PIT « 5 Cover: 232
Tools: Recaps


Jan 31, 2017 Score ATS Results
NAS 2 Over: 6
PIT « 4 Cover: 222
Tools: Recaps


Oct 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
PIT 1 Cover: 286
NAS « 5 Over: 6
Tools: Recaps


Mar 31, 2016 Score ATS Results
NAS 2 Over: 7
PIT « 5 Cover: 248
Tools: Recaps


Oct 24, 2015 Score ATS Results
PIT « 2 Under: 3
NAS 1 Cover: 239
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

Malkin focused on titles, not stardom
May 30, 2017


PITTSBURGH (AP) Just about anywhere else in the NHL, Evgeni Malkin would be ''The Guy.''


The captain. The unquestioned leader. The brightest star. The fulcrum around which to build a franchise.


Yet he has found comfort, peace and freedom in Pittsburgh, where the player everyone calls ''Geno'' has spent the last 11 years not as ''The Guy'' but ''The Other Guy.'' That's not a slight. How can it be when the player a few stalls over in the dressing room happens to be a good friend and the best player in the world?


Sure, if he played in another market, Malkin would be the centerpiece. Why do that when you get to chase Stanley Cups every spring with Sidney Crosby?


''I don't want to be No. 1 in Carolina,'' Malkin said on the eve of Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup Final date with Nashville. ''I want to be better (with) Sid.''


And occasionally more dangerous than Sid.


It's Malkin, not Crosby, who leads the league in scoring during the playoffs. The big Russian's power-play goal in Pittsburgh's 5-3 Game 1 victory over the Predators gave him 25 points in 20 games, just ahead of Crosby's 22 in 19. If the Penguins find a way to fend off Nashville and raise the Cup for a second straight year and the third time in the Crosby and Malkin era, it could be Malkin who walks away with a second Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP.


Not that Malkin is keeping track. Point out he won his Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2012 during a season in which Crosby was limited to just 22 games due to a concussion, Malkin shrugs. When he was left off the NHL's list of 100 greatest players released at the All-Star Break, he cracked a couple of jokes and moved on. Asked to revisit the omission over the weekend, Malkin responded with typical bluntness.


''No, I don't care, my record is Cups,'' Malkin said. ''If I win like one more Cup, it's like my record. I not think about points. It's only team.''


If Crosby is the Penguins' captain and conscience, Malkin is their id. While the unfailingly understated Crosby searches for the right thing to say, Malkin usually only pipes up when there's something he needs to get off his chest.


After Pittsburgh failed to close out Ottawa in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Malkin groused about the need for him to be better even though he was the best player in black and gold on a night his sublime second-period goal gave Pittsburgh a lead it couldn't quite hold. That's just Geno being Geno.


''He plays a pretty emotional game,'' Crosby said. ''His game is skilled, but physically he's not afraid to engage.''


That fearlessness, however, can make it appear at times that the 30-year-old is indestructible. He's not. He gritted his way through the 2016 playoffs despite searing pain in his right elbow, not that it stopped him from putting up six goals and 12 assists as the Penguins won their fourth Cup.


The victory last spring served as validation for both Crosby and Malkin following a string of spring flameouts that left some wondering if the Penguins would be better off with just one franchise center instead of two. It's a sentiment that always struck Malkin as odd.


Malkin fled Russia and the Kontinental Hockey League a few weeks after his 20th birthday in 2006 to begin a new life 5,500 miles away from home. He forged a bond with another generational talent, one whose own greatness has forced Malkin not to take his own for granted. He could have chosen to explore free agency three years ago but instead signed an eight-year extension with Pittsburgh long before he hit the open market.


''I sign big deal here because I feel we can win every year,'' Malkin said. ''I want to play with Sid long time. I want to be like - it's good competition between me and Sid.''


While KHL officials have spoken publically about making a run at Russian stars this summer - dangling the chance to play in the Olympics after the NHL decided it would not send its players to South Korea next February as part of the bait - Malkin wants no part of it.


He'll always be a Russian. His life, however, is now in Pittsburgh. His son, Nikita, turns 1 on Wednesday. While fatherhood has mellowed Malkin off the ice - he joked he's gone out ''zero times'' since Nikita's birth - he remains fully engaged on it.


''I come to rink every day smiling,'' Malkin said. ''I want to try new sticks, new skates. I'm still (excited) to play. If we win one more Cup, it's amazing. If I win one more MVP, it's amazing. I try and be better.''


When he's at his best, there are few who can keep up. When the Penguins were at risk of botching a 5-on-3 power play late in the first period of Game 1, it was Malkin who took command. While his teammates searched for the perfect shot, Malkin opted to just blast one at Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne. The puck squeezed through to give the Penguins an early lead and set the tone for a three-goal outburst by the time first-period horn sounded.


A few hours later Malkin was back home, focusing on being what he calls being ''a good dad, not just a good hockey dad.''


Nikita is still too young to realize what his father does for a living. Still, Malkin is well aware of the legacy he's creating one shift at a time, one that isn't focused on selling more No. 71 jerseys but more mid-June Cup parades through his adopted hometown.


''I know when (Nikita) growing up, he's like 2 years old, 3 years old, he start understanding,'' Malkin said. ''I hope he's little bit proud to me.''

 

[CNOTES]

Pens wary, Preds confident entering Game 2
May 30, 2017


PITTSBURGH (AP) The winning team went nearly two full periods without a shot. The hottest goaltender in the playoffs was only tested 11 times in 58 minutes - and lost.


No wonder Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan described his team's 5-3 victory over Nashville in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final as ''bizarre.''


And that doesn't even include the catfish tossed onto the ice by a Predators fan at PPG Paints Arena in the middle of a second period. The fish that splatted on the Nashville blue line earned the thrower three misdemeanor charges and also came as close to Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne as anything the Penguins managed during 20 minutes in which the highest-scoring team in the league couldn't even muster a single shot.


''It's not always pretty,'' Sullivan said Tuesday. ''We don't get points for style. But what I love about our team is that we find ways to win, we compete.''


True, though for the majority of Game 1, the competition was pretty one-sided. The Predators controlled the pace and the puck, just not the scoreboard. It left the guys from ''Smashville'' in a new position for the first time since they began their mad dash to the final a month ago: chaser instead of chasee as Game 2 looms on Wednesday night.


''Now we face a little adversity,'' said defenseman Ryan Ellis, who scored the first Stanley Cup Final goal in team history. ''We see what kind of group and character we have to bounce back.''


The Predators haven't dropped consecutive games in the postseason and their four previous losses were pretty easy to explain. What happened on Monday night was not. The only area where Nashville wasn't markedly better than the defending Stanley Cup champions is the only one that really matters.


''Everything was there that we liked but the result,'' Ellis said.


Ellis described the Predators as more disappointed than mad. You can probably add baffled to the list. Nashville became the first team since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1957 to hold a team without a shot for an entire period during the Stanley Cup Final. The gulf actually stretched 37 minutes in all, which sounds like a perfect way for the opponent to win.


Except the streak was bookended by goals. The first, a ricochet off Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm, gave the Penguins a 3-0 lead with 17 seconds left in the first period. The second, a sniper shot by Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel exactly 37 minutes later, put Pittsburgh back in front to stay at 4-3.


The angst Nashville felt isn't new to those who face the Penguins. Pittsburgh was outshot throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs. It didn't stop the Penguins from knocking off Columbus in five games and Washington in seven. There's a bit of a changeling quality to this group as opposed to the one that beat San Jose in six games to win the Cup last spring.


Sullivan calls it the ability to ''win games different ways,'' but what happened in Game 1 seems borderline impossible. The Penguins understand they were equal parts lucky and good. They also understand they can't afford to have their offense go dormant for nearly two periods.


Only a handful of Penguins participated in a skate on Tuesday, though the video room was crowded while they searched for ways to make sure a funk like that doesn't happen again.


''We know that's not necessarily the way you want to play the game every night,'' Crosby said.


The Predators are more focused on the process than the end product. Save for a bumpy stretch near the end of the first period where the Penguins scored three times, Nashville did exactly what it wanted to do. Defenseman P.K. Subban pointed to the response after falling behind by three as proof the stage is not too big.


''It's easy in a Stanley Cup game to come back in the room, everybody is quiet, nerves,'' Subban said. ''But that's not our hockey club. We know how good we can be. The way we responded was typical Nashville Predators.''


Typical for everyone except Rinne. The 34-year-old goalie is the main reason Nashville's season will extend into June for the first time. Yet his iffy play in Game 1 continued a troubling trend. He came into the series 1-5-2 with a .880 save percentage and 3.57 goals-against average in his career against the Penguins, numbers that ticked in the wrong direction even though he spent a majority of three periods standing in his crease with nothing to do while his teammates were at work at the other end of the ice.


Rinne's teammates rallied to his defense. They're well aware that without him they likely would have traded their sticks for golf clubs long ago.


''Looking back since I came here a couple years ago, he's been the best player in almost all of the games played,'' Filip Forsberg said. ''We have all the belief in Pekks we can ever have. I'm looking forward to see him play next game.''

 

[CNOTES]

NHL notebook: Senators' Brassard to miss 4-5 months after shoulder surgery
May 30, 2017


Ottawa Senators forward Derick Brassard will undergo shoulder surgery that will likely sideline him for four to five months, the team announced Tuesday.


Brassard has a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. The recovery timeframe could cause Brassard to miss the beginning of next season.


Brassard, 29, tallied 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) this season, his first with the Senators. He scored 141 goals and registered 382 points in 10 NHL seasons.


--Columbus Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky underwent wrist surgery and will be sidelined approximately three months.


"Brandon had been experiencing discomfort in his wrist since the season ended and after an examination last week it was determined that surgery was the best course of action at this time," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said.


Dubinsky, 31, scored 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) last season.Overall, Dubinsky has scored 141 goals and 408 points over 11 NHL campaigns.


--The New York Islanders announced that Scott Gomez has been named an assistant coach.


Gomez, who retired after the 2015-16 season after 16 NHL seasons, won a Calder Memorial Trophy in 1999-00 as the league's top rookie, as well as two Stanley Cup Championships with the New Jersey Devils (2000, 2003).


A two-time NHL All-Star, Gomez scored 181 goals and added 575 assists with the Devils, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators.


--The Minnesota Wild announced that assistant coach Scott Stevens resigned from his position so he can spend more time with his family.


Stevens, a hard-hitting Hall-Of-Fame defenseman in his playing days, spent one season as an assistant coach with Minnesota. The Wild went 49-25-8 during the 2016-17 regular season, setting franchise records for most wins and points (106) in a season.


Before joining the Wild, Stevens served as an analyst for NHL Network. He was named co-coach for New Jersey on Dec. 27, 2014, after serving two seasons (2012-14) as an assistant coach for the Devils.


The defenseman spent 13 of his 22 NHL seasons with New Jersey and captained the team to three Stanley Cup Championships in 1995, 2000, and 2003.


--The Los Angeles Kings named Dave Lowry as an assistant coach.


Lowry's coaching resume includes experience at the NHL and Western Hockey League (WHL) levels.


Most recently, Lowry served as the head coach for the Victoria Royals (WHL) for the last five seasons. His club posted a winning record each season and the club made the playoffs all five years. Overall, the team posted a 209-124-27 record under Lowry.


In 2003-04, Lowry concluded his NHL playing career. He broke in with the Vancouver Canucks in 1985 and went on to play for the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames, where he served as team captain. In his 1,084 career NHL regular season games, Lowry totaled 351 points and 1191 penalty minutes.

 

[CNOTES]

Letang had trouble watching Stanley Cup opener
May 30, 2017


PITTSBURGH -- If the Pittsburgh Penguins found parts of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators difficult to navigate, and if their fans found it hard to watch at times, perhaps they should all be grateful they were not sitting with Kris Letang.


"I think when I'm sitting in the (press) box up there, the people sitting next to me don't really like me," the injured Penguins defenseman said with a grin Tuesday, the first time he has spoken publicly since he had season-ending surgery the second week of April for a herniated disc in his neck.


"I'm screaming. I don't work the best way by watching."


Letang, 30, Pittsburgh's top defenseman, is a smooth-skating, two-way blue-liner who plays big minutes and whose puck-moving skills help with breakouts and production -- despite several injury and illness setbacks, he is approaching 300 assists and 400 points in his career.


Letang also has 18 goals, 68 points in 116 career playoff games.


The Penguins surely could have used him Monday night. Perhaps their 5-3 victory might have come a bit more easily.


The Predators spotted Pittsburgh an early three-goal lead, then mounted a comeback to tie it while holding the Penguins without a shot for 37 minutes, including all of the second period and most of the third.


Letang said his recovery is going well and he hopes to get clearance to get back on the ice soon, but with an original four- to six-month recovery time, there is no chance he will play in this series.


Game 2 is Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena.


His absence led a lot of prognosticators to say the same about Pittsburgh's chances of making a deep postseason run or winning the Cup -- no chance.


The Penguins have made conscious adjustments with their defense, most conspicuously spreading minutes fairly evenly rather than asking any player to step into Letang's go-to role.


Letang, shortly before his surgery, swore his belief in his teammates, particularly team offensive and spiritual leaders such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.


He predicted Pittsburgh could win the Cup for the second straight year.


"For the people who were rolling their eyes, you've all seen Sidney Crosby's demeanor, what he wants to accomplish," Letang said. "He's a guy that you can look up to. I was confident to say that in front of a lot of people."


Coach Mike Sullivan has recruited Letang to help in other ways.


Letang, popular with his teammates, is encouraged to be around the club. He travels to road games. He announces the starting lineup before each game in the locker room.


On a more practical level, Letang sits in on some coaches' meetings and has informal conversations with the defensemen, whether it's individually, by the pairing or with the full group, according to Sullivan.


"We wish we had him in the lineup, but in the absence of that he's a great set of eyes," Sullivan said. "He has so much to offer this group, both our coaching staff and the team as a whole, even though he's not in our lineup."


Letang just might be coaching himself, too.


"You kind of realize things that you don't really see at the ice level," he said. "I think as a player, I'm going to learn a lot, too, watching in different situations. It's easy now to go down and tell those guys, 'Hey, this is open. You might not feel like it, but this is open.'


"It's a different aspect. I always try to think when you're watching a game, you're actually getting better, you're learning more."


Except how to remain calm in the press box.

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday's NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Betting Preview: Predators at Penguins


Jake Guentzel ended an eight-game drought and tied Claude Lemieux (1986) and Chris Drury (1999) for the most game-winning goals by a rookie in the playoffs with four.


Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins (-150, 5.5)


Pens lead series 1-0


If it were a boxing match, the referee may have stopped the fight. Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Penguins, their heavyweight showdown versus Nashville was scored by the quality of the blows that they landed, allowing them to take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the visiting Predators on Wednesday night.


Pittsburgh's 5-3 victory Monday night came in inexplicable fashion -- the Penguins built and blew a three-goal lead before Jake Guentzel delivered the late tiebreaking tally after his team went more than 37 minutes without registering a shot on net. "It's not textbook," said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby after the Penguins finished with the fewest shots on goal (12) by a winning team in Stanley Cup history. "We've got some things we need to improve on." The Predators, who are trailing in a series for the first time this postseason, are trying to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time before the best-of-seven set shifts to Nashville. "I thought our guys played great," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said after Monday's game. "We hate the score, we hate the result, but we'll move forward."


TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS


LINE HISTORY: The Penguins opened as -170 home favorites for Game 2 and the public must have liked what they saw from the Preds in the opener because by Tuesday night the moneyline was down to -150. The total opened at 5 and was quickly bumped up to 5.5.


GOALIE MATCHUP: Pekka Rinne (NAS) vs. Matt Murray (PIT)


Rinne - GP: 17, W/L: 12-5, 1.83 GAA, .934 SAVE %, 2 SO
Murray - GP: 6, W/L: 4-1, 1.62 GAA, .936 SAVE %, 1 SO


INJURY REPORT:


Predators - LW C. Wilson (Questionable, undisclosed), C R. Johansen (Out For Season, thigh), LW K. Fiala (Out For Season, leg).


Penguins - RW T. Kuhnhackl (Questionable, lower body), D C. Ruhwedel (Questionable, concussion), D K. Letang (Out for season, neck).


ABOUT THE PREDATORS (53-33-9-4, 45-42 O/U): Pekka Rinne's save percentage has steady decreased since opening the postseason with consecutive shutouts in Chicago, but he's eager to atone after allowing four goals on 11 shots Monday. "That's the best part in the playoffs," Rinne said. "You always get another opportunity, and that's going to happen on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to that." Colton Sissons continues to shine in place of injured No. 1 center Ryan Johansen with four goals in two games while center Mike Fisher returned from injury to collect two assists -- his first points of the playoffs.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (63-26-8-5, 56-39 O/U): Pittsburgh received the secondary scoring it had been missing as Conor Sheary, a 23-goal scorer during the regular season, notched his first of the playoffs and Guentzel registered his 10th of the postseason to lead all goal scorers. Guentzel ended an eight-game drought and tied Claude Lemieux (1986) and Chris Drury (1999) for the most game-winning goals by a rookie in the playoffs with four. Crosby matched Chris Kunitz with a pair of assists for his 55th career multiple-point game in the postseason, eclipsing Joe Sakic for sixth place on the all-time list.


TRENDS:

* Predators are 0-4 in their last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Penguins are 1-9 in their last 10 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Over is 5-1 in Predators last 6 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Under is 8-2 in Penguins last 10 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Predators are 2-9 in the last 11 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 60 percent of users are siding with the home favorite Penguins and 52 percent of the totals wagers are on the Under.

 

[CNOTES]

High-scoring hockey has been followed by Under results in Stanley Cup final


Going back to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, playing the Under following an Over result is a perfect 7-0 winner. Game 2's total is at 5.5 goals.


A wild and crazy Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final produced a total of eight goals Monday night – the highest scoring Stanley Cup final game since Game 2 of the 2014 final and just the 21st time a Cup final game has gone Over the betting total since the 2005 NHL lockout.


The Pittsburgh Penguins jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period then were locked down by the Nashville Predators, who stormed back to tie the game 3-3 before conceding the game-winning goal and an empty net marker in the closing minutes of the third period. And that was without a first-period score from Nashville that was disallowed after review.


That 5-3 final score eclipsed the 5.5-goal total for Game 1 and sets up an interesting angle for total bettors heading into Game 2 Wednesday night, which opened with the total at 5.5 goals.


Since the lockout, Stanley Cup final games following an Over result are 4-12-1 Over/Under (75 percent Under), with three Over results coming in the deciding game of a series (no following game). The average combined score in those contests following an Over is just 4.3 goals.
Hockey betting action heating up in Vegas as puck drops on Stanley Cup final: Live From Las Vegas
The puck drops on the Stanley Cup final, and Las Vegas sportsbooks are bracing for a burst of betting action in the hours before Game 1. We talk to Johnny Avello, executive director of race and sports at the Wynn Las Vegas, about the Penguins and Predators and which team the bettors like to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.


In fact, going back to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, playing the Under following an Over has produced a perfect 7-0 streak. And, if you take the 2010 final out of the equation – which saw the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers top the total in five of six games – you get a Over/Under record of 1-11-1 in Cup final games following an Over since 2006.


Before Game 1, the Penguins entered the Cup final with a 8-9-2 Over/Under record in the NHL playoffs while the Predators posted a 3-7-6 O/U mark in their first three postseason series. Pittsburgh is 3-3-1 O/U following an Over in these playoffs, with Nashville going 1-1-1 O/U after an Over result.


Game 2 opened with the total at 5.5 goals (Over +110, Under -130).

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel


Wednesday, May 31



Nashville @ Pittsburgh


Game 3-4
May 31, 2017 @ 8:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
14.124
Pittsburgh
10.665
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 3 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(+125); Under








NHL
Long Sheet


Wednesday, May 31


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NASHVILLE (53-33-0-13, 119 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (63-26-0-13, 139 pts.) - 5/31/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 30-35 ATS (-18.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 127-81 ATS (+42.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 84-49 ATS (-3.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 47-30 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 242-194 ATS (+32.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 33-20 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 25-13 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 5-2 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-2-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.1 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------







NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up


Wednesday, May 31


Pittsburgh didn’t get a shot on goal for 37:09 stretch in Game 1, still won 5-3. Nashville won five of last eight games overall- they’re 2-3 in last five road games. Under is 6-3-2 in their last 11 games. Penguins won last four home games by combined score of 16-5. Under is 4-3-2 in their last nine games. Pittsburgh is 9-2 in its last 11 games with the Predators; last four series games went over total. Nashville lost five of last six visits here. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final.


Stanley Cup final
Nashville-Pittsburgh
Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5








NHL


Wednesday, May 31


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


8:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Nashville is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Nashville
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Nashville

 

[CNOTES]

Prosecutors to drop charges in Stanley Cup dead catfish toss
May 31, 2017


PITTSBURGH (AP) Prosecutors are dropping charges filed against a Tennessee man for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening of the Stanley Cup Final.


Thirty-six-year-old Jacob Waddell was charged in Allegheny County with disorderly conduct, possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions after tossing the dead fish over the glass surrounding the rink Monday night during the Nashville Predators-Pittsburgh Penguins game.


District Attorney Stephen Zappala said in a Facebook post Wednesday that Waddell's actions ''do not rise to the level of criminal charges'' so the charges ''will be withdrawn in a timely manner.''


Nashville Mayor Megan Barry had called for the charges to be ''quickly dismissed.''


Waddell called himself ''a dumb redneck with a bad idea'' in a conversation with Nashville radio station WGFX-FM .


He says he sneaked the fish into the arena by hiding it between layers of underwear, running the fish over with his truck several times to make it easier to pack.

 

[CNOTES]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


NAS at PIT 08:00 PM


NAS +130


U 5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Guentzel-led Pens take 2-0 lead vs. Preds
May 31, 2017


PITTSBURGH (AP) By coach Peter Laviolette's math, the Nashville Predators have been pretty good for all but 10 minutes of the Stanley Cup Final.


It's not much. Unless you're playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then it's too much. Way too much.


The defending Stanley Cup champions needed just over three minutes at the start of the third period to turn a taut Game 2 into a runaway, beating Pekka Rinne three times in a 4-1 victory on Wednesday night to inch closer to becoming the first team in nearly 20 years to win back-to-back titles.


The barrage started with Jake Guentzel. Mired in an eight-game goal drought heading into the series, the 22-year-old Nebraska-born rookie provided the winner in Game 1 and again in Game 2 when he pounded home a rebound just 10 seconds into the third for his third of the series and 12th of the playoffs.


''It's crazy,'' said Guentzel, who has an NHL rookie record five game-winning goals this postseason. ''You can't even put into words what it feels. But we know the ultimate goal is two more wins and they're going to be tough to get.''


Only if Rinne turns back into Rinne. The 34-year-old spent the first three rounds of the playoffs helping carry Nashville to the Final for the first time. Now he's the biggest reason the Predators head back to ''Smashville'' for Game 3 on Saturday night reeling. After giving up four goals on 11 shots in Game 1, he allowed four more on 25 shots in Game 2. He was pulled when Evgeni Malkin ended Pittsburgh's surge with his ninth of the playoffs 3:28 into the third.


Rinne entered the series with a .947 save percentage in the postseason. Against Pittsburgh, it's at .777 and he remains winless in his career against the Penguins in games he's started.


''The limited chances they've had they've done a good job,'' Rinne said. ''Overall these two games, like I said, it's disappointing to be down 2-0 but we have to be feeling still positive with the way we played as a whole and creating chances.''


Asked twice afterward if he was committed to starting Rinne on Saturday, Laviolette stressed Rinne has been ''terrific,'' adding there are plenty of things the Predators can do better in front of him like stopping the odd-man rushes that allowed the Penguins to take charge.


''There's a stretch they're able to gain some momentum, able to capitalize and be opportunistic and that swung two games in their favor,'' he said.


Pontus Aberg scored the lone goal for the Predators , who were once again undone by a sudden barrage from the NHL's highest-scoring team, though they haven't lost faith in Rinne. Defenseman P.K. Subban said the team was ''extremely confident'' and in the prospect of going home, where the Predators are 7-1 during the playoffs.


''We're going to win the next game and then we'll see what happens from there,'' Subban said.


It wouldn't take much to be better than what happened in Pittsburgh.


In Game 1, the Penguins pushed three goals by Rinne in a span of 4:11 in the first period to build a 3-0 lead. The Predators rallied to tie before Guentzel's go-ahead goal with 3:17 remaining put the Penguins ahead to stay.


This time, Pittsburgh's flurry came a little bit later. And it was once again led by the baby-faced son of a coach who has no problem shouldering the responsibility of playing alongside star Sidney Crosby.


The game was tied at 1 at the start of the third period when Guentzel jumped on a rebound to put Pittsburgh ahead. It was 1 second shy of the fastest goal to start a period in Final history.


Wilson was credited with his third of the playoffs just over 3 minutes later when a centering pass caromed off Nashville's Vernon Fiddler and by Rinne. Malkin's shot sent Rinne to the bench in favor of backup Juuse Saros, who made his playoff debut.


''When we score one, we don't stop,'' Malkin said. ''We want to score more. The first shift in the third period, we score. We want more. It's our game. Never stop.''


Pittsburgh vowed to put more pressure on Rinne than it managed in their 5-3 victory in Game 1, a win they managed despite going 37 minutes without throwing a single puck Rinne's way and none in the second period, the first time that's happened since the NHL started tracking shots in 1957.


The Penguins matched their entire shot total from the opener (12) by the end of the first period but still found themselves trying to keep up with the Predators. The Stanley Cup newbies were disappointed but not dismayed by their Game 1 loss, pointing to the way they carried play for long stretches as tangible proof they weren't just happy to be here.


The result was the kind of up-and-down play that showcased the speed on both sides and included more than a dash of antagonism, particularly early.


Nashville's Matt Irwin drilled Pittsburgh's Matt Cullen from behind into the boards in the first period, a hit that left the 40-year-old Cullen headed down the runway for a quick check but didn't result in a penalty. Minutes later, Penguins forward Chris Kunitz became tangled up with P.K. Subban and ended up cross-checking Subban in the head, part of a sequence that saw Malkin go off for hooking. Malkin and Subban even ended up fighting in the third period when things got out of hand.


It was a scene hard to imagine through the first two taut and chippy periods.


Pittsburgh stayed in it thanks to Matt Murray (37 saves) and when Pittsburgh returned to the ice for the start of the third they, as coach Mike Sullivan is fond of saying, ''got to their game.''


A style that now has the Penguins two victories away from the cusp of a dynasty.