Crosby doing it all again as Penguins close in on Cup

The list of concerns for Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette is long after a 6-0 blowout loss in Pittsburgh in pivotal Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan has called him a game-time decision since.

“Nashville is a hockey town; they are insane about the Preds here”, said country artist Darius Rucker, the former frontman of Hootie and the Blowfish. The Penguins finished off the Preds by a 6-0 margin to take a 3-2 series lead.

Game 6 is Sunday night at 7 p.m. The team directed fans to watch the pivotal game in the 2-2 series on screens outside.

To start the second, the Penguins picked up where they left off, Crosby with a great behind-the-back pass in front to a solo Conor Sheary, who made no mistake and scored. His team’s grasp on a second straight Stanley Cup tenuous at best heading into Game 5 against Nashville on Thursday, Crosby did more than send a message. Kessel added two assists, Malkin and Hainsey one each.

Sidney Crosby was excellent as usual, picking up three assists during the game.

“We know how to hit the reset button. It’s not over yet”, says defenseman Yannick Weber. “They understand that we haven’t accomplished anything to this point and that there’s one more game that we have to go out and earn, and I believe that this group has the will and the character to do so”. “We made a few adjustments, but we had confidence”.

Gostisbehere scored four overtime goals over the course of the season, becoming the first National Hockey League rookie to do so, and set Flyers and National Hockey League records with a 15-game scoring streak from January 19 to February 20, 2016. There were some goals in this game.

“I have a better arm than that anyway”, Crosby said. That was a huge game. Rinne stopped 50 of 52 shots he faced back home in Games 3 and 4. “It’s good to see for sure”.While Pittsburgh center Matt Cullen said there are no moral victories during the postseason, the way the Penguins were able to generate odd-man rushes and stretch the ice were encouraging.”It’s not easy, but I know I can be better myself”, Malkin said.Inactive for nearly a month and thrown into the highest-pressure situation of his playing career, Gaudreau won 10 of 14 faceoffs in a series-shifting Game 5 victory at Honda Center. “We know we’re going to face a desperate team”. “We know how we’re capable of playing, especially in our building here and look to get ourselves a big win”.

Moments earlier, a Predators fan had thrown a catfish on to the ice.

When the Penguins talk about “playing fast”, this is what they mean.

There was his quicksilver first shift, when Crosby split the Predators defense shortly after the opening faceoff, then rang shot off the left post while drawing a penalty from Nashville’s Ryan Ellis, who tried futilely to slow him down. If you like Sidney Crosby, you won’t care.

After days of back-and-forth between the pair dating back to Subban’s assertion after Game 3 that Crosby had criticized his breath, a claim Crosby later denied, the Penguins star nearly appeared to be scolding his All-Star counterpart with each successive shove. “He’s going to make those plays if he has that extra second”, Nashville winger James Neal said.