PK Subban is pretty confident the Nashville Predators will win Game 3

The Penguins are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Nashville, 9-2 in the last 11 meetings and the home team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

Just 15 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin scored off of a two-on-one, firing a ideal shot over Rinne’s glove for a 4-1 lead.

Predators’ backup goalie Juuse Saros was hardly tested in his first career playoff game, turning away both shots he faced Wednesday night.

A mere 10 seconds into the third period, Bryan Rust fired a long-range shot that bounced off Rinne and onto Guentzel’s stick for the game-winner.

The floodgates are open in Pittsburgh.

Along the lines of talking about the defense, goaltender Pekka Rinne did not have the best night.

From there it was nearly all Penguins, as they drew five straight penalties and scored four straight goals. Phil Kessel’s shot bounding in front of Pekka Rinne and off Scott Wilson before Vernon Fiddler slammed into Rinne, jamming the puck into his own net.

Murray, who had the crowd chanting his name after stretching out to rob Filip Forsberg of a surefire goal, redeemed himself as the game wore on. Those numbers ballooned after the first two games against the Penguins.

There are some things to watch for as the series heads into Game 2 tomorrow night.

Charges were dismissed against a Nashville Predators fan who threw a catfish onto the ice in Pittsburgh during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, WTVF reports.

“It’s insane”, Guentzel said of his two big games this series after an eight-game goal drought. The Pittsburgh Penguins have allowed three or less goals in each of their last six games. He has found his touch at the right time for Pittsburgh, which leads the Final 1-0.

Even worse, the game was tied 1-1 after the first two periods.

The tiebreaker wasn’t the end of the Penguins’ quick start in the period.

The main reason the Predators have fallen behind 2-0 this series to the Penguins is the subpar play from goaltender Pekka Rinne. The Penguins thrive off of high-intensity, chaotic situations that turn broken plays into instant odd-man rushes. They had been out-shot 32-19 at that point. “We hold each other for a minute. I’m looking forward to see him play next game”.

Nashville’s lead was short-lived. Matt Murray has been strong in goal for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh had a 31.1 local rating, the best ever for a Penguins game in the market on NBCSN, surpassing all previous Stanley Cup Final games on the network. It’s Guentzel’s playoff-leading 11th goal.

Nashville will look to snap its two-game losing streak Saturday when the Predators host the Penguins in Game 3. Young Pontus Aberg began the scoring with a handsome goal in which he threw the puck around Olli Maatta and then patiently got Matt Murray to commit before throwing it top shelf.

“This is his first year pro, coming out of college, where he’s not used to playing the National Hockey League schedule, and the demands of that physically, not to mention a long playoff run”, Sullivan said of Guentzel. Nashville is 7-2 in the playoffs when scoring first, and this time it counted after a coach’s challenge for offside wiped out a goal that would’ve given the Predators the lead in Game 1. But it was something that Evgeni Malkin reportedly said to the Nashville Predators defenceman that sparked a late-game fight.

Again, how do you miss the Penguins’ Matt Cullen getting plastered by Matt Irwin on the boards and not call a penalty? The 34-year-old entered the Stanley Cup Finals with a.947 goals against average, but during this series, his average has dropped to an abysmal.777.