Stanley Cup Final: Five keys to Game 3

Matt Murray played spectacularly at times through the first two periods, buying his teammates enough time to find their footing and get to Rinne. The Pittsburgh Penguins took home a 4-1 win Wednesday in nearly the exact same fashion as their Game 1 win. It's not that they don't throw punches; it's not that they don't have knockout power.

The Predators actually controlled five-on-five play for the entirety of the game, and yet another few minute lapse turned into an unscalable mountain. Yes, they have been the better team. Nashville must show the Penguins why they have been 7-1 at home through these playoffs by getting off to a quick start and having their fan base behind them.

The Penguins have been outshot 64-39 - including 27-12 in Game 2 - during the Stanley Cup Final. We're leaving them odd man numbered rushes.

If that happens, who then wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs?

Pekka Rinne expunges subpar performances by visualizing good ones, and he has had plenty for Nashville in these playoffs.

Could have been worse: Patric Hornqvist appeared to score the Penguins' fourth goal of the third period, but it was nullified by an offside call on a coach's challenge by Nashville's Pater Laviolette. He got the Predators to this point and went into the series as an MVP favorite, but allowed four goals on 11 shots in Game 1 and then got the hook in Game 2. And though the Pittsburgh Penguins failed to score on any of their seven power plays, all that time Nashville spent killing penalties would've been better spent trying to beat Matt Murray. The Predators controlled the pace and the puck, just not the scoreboard. Just over three minutes later, the Penguins scored two goals 15 seconds apart to cap a Game 2 victory.

So far, the Predators haven't been able to make them stop. For me, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. "We've just got to focus on those things that we can control, and that's going to be our competitive level, our attitude, our execution, all of those things within our control". The rookie from Omaha, Nebraska, leads the playoffs with 12 goals and has scored the past three goals for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh's surge prompted Nashville coach Peter Laviolette to pull Rinne, who departed after stopping 21 of 25 shots with Juuse Saros taking over.

What doesn't is that Rinne is the weak spot, and this is how Pittsburgh wins.

Fifteen seconds later Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin scored off of a two-on-one, lofting a shot over Rinne's glove to make it 4-1 in the first 3:28 of the third. Murray finished with 37 saves in all as he helped move the Penguins to within two victories of becoming the first team to go back-to-back since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998. Every other champ since 2008 has been top four. But two games into the final, he is now a reason why Nashville is down 2-0.

"Yeah, I think. when teams start peppering us, we do a really good job of keeping the shots to the outside, and we limit the quality scoring chances", said winger Bryan Rust.

"You have to put it behind you", Rinne said. "I can see it in their eyes".

"I know our guys enjoy playing at home".

The outburst marked a turnaround for a Penguins team that had been struggling on offence.

His five game-winning goals are more than all of the Penguins' rookies since the start of the 2000 playoffs have produced - combined. They went 9 minutes and 50 seconds without a shot, reminiscent of the second period of Game 1when they had no shots at all.

The Predators say Jackson will take the stage on Lower Broadway about 2 1/2 hours before scheduled puck drop of Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. "We're looking at ourselves", Subban said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.