Crosby didn't get an extra roughing penalty for slamming P.K. Subban's head on the ice in the first period and officials missed the Penguins captain throwing a water bottle onto the ice during the second period as Pittsburgh opened a 5-0 lead.
Pittsburgh is just 7-7 over its last 14 games and has been limited to just one goal in six of its past 11 - including the two losses in Nashville.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pekka Rinne's struggles in Pittsburgh have his Nashville Predators on the brink of elimination.
Mattias Ekholm said everything is created to make opponents work hard and fellow defenseman Ryan Ellis noted that the hard work is required of the Predators, too.
Conor Sheary declined to disclose what he wished for on his birthday, which coincided with Thursday's Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena. "And I think everybody on our team can skate, move the puck and make plays". Our guys have a tremendous amount of confidence in him. "That means a lot to us, to play our best at home, in front of our fans".
"They are always loud and they are always pushing us to be the best we can be", forward Carl Hagelin said. I think we have to play with conviction. At least one of those wins will have to come in Pittsburgh, where Rinne has never won a game.
Nashville rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the best-of-seven series and the home team has won all five games.
Of course, it all changes if the Predators reclaim their swagger and rally to complete one of the improbable Cup runs in National Hockey League history. After combining for zero points in Games 3 and 4, Malkin had a goal and an assist and Kessel a goal and two assists.
Rinne made six saves on nine shots, while Juuse Saros, making his second career playoff appearance, stopped 12 shots.
Cavaliers make NBA Finals history with 49-point first quarter
The record for any Finals quarter was 47, done by the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter against Boston on June 3, 1984. Cleveland, of course, won Game 7 at Golden State a year ago ; the Warriors won the crown in Game 6 at Cleveland in 2015.
Geno has quite a knack for predicting certain events before big games. "We were really jumping and playing our game, playing fast".
A victory over the next two games would make Pittsburgh the first team in 19 years to go back-to-back and give Crosby three championships before his 30th birthday, with the window for more very much open into the early portions of the next decade if he and Malkin can stay healthy.
You can bet they do not want to repeat that scenario again, especially because this time around the Predators would have a chance to close them out at home. The two-time MVP ended up on top of a stickless Subban and attempted to get up only to have Subban refuse to let go of Crosby's right leg. "I think just like everybody; we did a good job of that and got rewarded for it". After their 5-3 win over the Cubs on Friday - their sixth win in a row - they took a three-game lead in the NL West and look sort of legit.
"Sometimes just every game tends to take on its own identity", he said. "He just tells you "come and follow me" by the way he's playing".
Crosby grabbed a pass with speed and then slashed through the gap between Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi before firing a shot off the left post.
"When you get a puck to a player like that when he's full speed, he can do unsafe things", Guentzel said after the game, laughing and shaking his head in disbelief.
The live bands in the lower Broadway bars have had to work their sets around game action, and Predators' goals have been met with enormous cheers roaring through the city's main commercial thoroughfare from fans watching on big screens.
Now, Rinne and the Predators, facing elimination for the first time in the playoffs, will have to win at home on Sunday to extend the series. They'll take their chances.
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