It ended with haymaker after haymaker - both literal and proverbial - from the ever resilient Pittsburgh Penguins. That's the way the game would end with Pittsburgh coming out on top 6-0, and taking a Stanley Cup Finals series lead of three games to two. They responded with an attacking, never-stop approach that has helped Nashville go from the last team into the National Hockey League playoffs to one that is two wins from a championship.
"Still a lot of work to be done but the way we played tonight, if we can build off that momentum, that's important", Crosby said after collecting three assists. He as well as anyone knows like a good power play, there's still hope. The Penguins lead the series 2-1.
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. Pittsburgh has gotten better, though, as the series has gone along.
Not that the Penguins gave them much of a chance. From Malkin (goal and an assist) and Kessel (goal and two assists) to goals from Justin Schultz and Ron Hainsey to a shutout performance from Matt Murray, everyone in a Penguins jersey stepped up. It was Crosby who sent the message - with his vision, his creativity and, oddly, his fists.
More meaningful to his night was the victory, which pushed the Penguins one step closer to becoming the first repeat Stanley Cup victor in 19 years.
I think that the next time the Penguins are in Pittsburgh, they'll be hoisting the Stanley Cup.
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Still, Crosby wasn't done sending a message for Game 6 - or creating controversy. Peter Laviolette also went for the long play, resting some of their star players. Crosby then started hitting Subban in the head repeatedly, eventually drawing a roughing penalty while Subban - who quipped that Crosby was complaining about Subban's bad breath during a Game 3 exchange - went off for holding.
"You come here with the mindset that you knew what happened the first two games, but that's not going to change the way I play or prepare", Rinne said. Now, there's various reasons for that, but I think there's got to be some consideration in the scheduling in the future between series. I was in some kind of lock there.
Rust beat Rinne to the glove side with a backhander a little more than five minutes later and Malkin made it 3-0 with 10.2 seconds left in the first period. Part of that is being better in front of Rinne.
Saros hardly fared any better. Crosby added his third helper on Phil Kessel's first goal of the final.
During the second period of the blowout, a water bottle came flying from the Penguins bench and landed on the ice during play.
When Hainsey, who waited 907 regular-season games before reaching the playoffs for the first time this season, tapped in a pass from Malkin to make it 6-0, the stage was set for the Penguins to return to familiar territory. Besides, of the four Stanley Cup's Pittsburgh has won, all four have been clinched on the road... but stats don't matter.
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