Former Duck Chris Kunitz continues to stand out for Penguins at 37

Helene Elliott

http://www.latimes.com/sports/

June 1, 2017

Chris Kunitz #14 and Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defend against the Nashville Predators in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

Undrafted out of Ferris State University, waived twice as a professional and heartbroken when the Ducks traded him to a team that was out of the playoff picture less than two years after he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2007,Chris Kunitz is two wins away from being a four-time Cup champion.

Let that sink in. That’s remarkable for someone who’s not a superstar but is a fierce forechecker and solid two-way player, at home on the left side of No.1 center Sidney Crosby or grinding on the fourth line. Even at 37 and after one of his worst seasons, he has produced three straight multi-point games: The double-overtime Game 7 goal he scored to give the Penguins the Eastern Conference title over Ottawa was his second in that game, and he earned two assists in each of their first two Cup Final games against the Nashville Predators.

It’s a late-career revival for Kunitz, who went from Anaheim to Pittsburgh for defenseman Ryan Whitney in a deal the Ducks lost badly. Not only did Kunitz help the Penguins reverse course and win the Cup in 2009, but he also contributed 12 points to their triumphant 2016 run and was a gold medalist for Canada at the 2014 Olympics. He could move closer to his fourth Cup championship Saturday, when the Final shifts to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and that’s a mind-boggling thought. But he’d rather do it than think about it.

“We have a tough Game 3 ahead of us that’s in an atmosphere that’s going to be a raucous building, a place that’s going to be really loud and crazy and we’ve got to go out there and play maybe one of the dullest road games of the season and take that crowd out of it and try and keep their team from getting that momentum,” he said. “Our next game is our biggest game of the year by far.”

Kunitz had great chemistry on the Ducks with center Andy McDonald and right wing Teemu Selanne, who was a big fan of Kunitz and often called him “unbelievable.” Kunitz and Selanne rekindled their friendship recently when Selanne visited Pittsburgh to see one of his sons play in a youth tournament.

“I went and spent an afternoon watching some hockey and hanging out,” Kunitz said, smiling. “Those are some my fondest memories, of breaking into the league and having a teammate and a linemate like him and Andy McDonald to show me the way, how you play in this league and how you can be successful in playing your style of hockey.”

The Penguins’ quick-strike ability has allowed them to win the first two games while being outshot, outhit and outplayed for stretches.

“We’re trying to play our game but they’ve been tilting the ice in their favor quite a bit of the game,” Kunitz said. “Our goaltender has made big saves. Our power play has found a way to get a goal and we’ve had guys step up at key moments. Those are all successful things that help your team win.

“But we have to do a better job of not letting them come with the pace that they want to put pucks on our net and have their [defensemen] jump into the play, and when we can do that, that’s going to lean the ice back in our favor and hopefully have a better outcome when we go out for Game 3. The next one is going to be the toughest.”

Pekka Rinne #35 and Ryan Ellis #4 of the Nashville Predators react after giving up a goal to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images)

Who’s in goal?

Predators coach Peter Laviolette stuck with his policy of not disclosing lineup decisions and declined to say if he will start the struggling Pekka Rinne in goal Saturday. Laviolette said he has relayed his decision to Rinne — whom he pulled during the Predators’ 4-1 loss Monday — and to backup Juuse Saros. Rinne has ooked shaky in yielding eight goals on 36 shots, but he got the Predators this far and Saros has never started a playoff game.

Laviolette also said his team is frustrated to be in this situation after dominating play for stretches and taking a statistical edge on faceoffs (68-66), hits (77-67) and power-play performance (two for seven, compared to Pittsburgh’s one for 10).

“We’ve got to continue to try and get better with what we do,” he said. “We can't just look at the numbers and say, ‘Yeah, we're winning all the numbers,’ but the scoreboard, there’s got to be things we’ve got to do better.”

Predators defenseman P.K. Subban, who pretty much guaranteed Wednesday that his team will bounce back to win Game 3, stood by his prediction Thursday. “I feel even more confident now that I’ve had a night of rest,” he said. “There’s no question — we’re going to win the next game and then we’ll move forward.”

Jake Guentzel can’t stop scoring: Rookie forward has Pittsburgh Penguins within two wins of Stanley Cup

Steve Simmons, Postmedia Network

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/

June 1, 2017

Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a goal past Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators during the first period in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — Jake Guentzel looks like the kid next door, only younger.

He can’t grow a playoff beard. “Terrible,” his father Mike calls it. “Just terrible.”

What he can do is score.

He scored on his first NHL shift. He scored in his first Stanley Cup playoff game. He scored the winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final and two straight goals, including the winner, in Game 2.

He scored, impressively, when he played with Sidney Crosby. And more impressively, he has scored playing away from Crosby. On Wednesday night, Guentzel scored his 11th and 12th goal of the playoffs, two away from Dino Ciccarelli’s rookie record of 14 from 1981. The game winner in Game 2 was his fifth of this playoff season. No rookie has ever done that before.

It is to the point where Guentzel is giddy, his teammates are giddy about having a two-game lead in a final where they have rarely been the better team, and his family, in the stands at the PPG Paints Arena, is giddy watching him dance his way into the record books.

“This year’s been just a blur,” said Mike Guentzel, who coached Jake most of his life. “It’s just magical what’s happening. I don’t know what to say. We were hoping Jake would play five to 10 games this year for the Penguins this year, and then he got called up.”

And all he has done since is score goals. He has that gift. His next goal, if there is a next goal, will be his 50th of this hockey season split between AHL Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh.

“You can’t even write this up in your wildest dreams,” the father said. “I’m happy for Jake. A couple of days ago, he was worried about being in the lineup and now he’s got 12 goals in the NHL playoffs, and you read Twitter and you see the pictures and see things being said, that he’s this and he’s that and he’s broke this record and broke that record. The first time you see his name opposite Gretzky and Lemieux and Rocket Richard for rookie scoring. It can’t get any better than that. And it just keeps going on and on.

“The thing is, he’s just so driven and having so much fun. It’s such a good experience. As parents, we’re just blessed. We’re here. His brothers are here. Every time we’re here as a family, he scores.”

Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins speaks during a press conference after Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators with a score of 4 to 1. (Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images)

And his dad said he’s not a natural goal scorer, although his playoff evidence would beg to differ. Before this season, he’s usually played centre. “He’s a pass-first, shoot-second player,” said Mike.

“All of a sudden, he’s playing the wing. I was giving him a hard time (the other day). ‘When are you going to shoot one in?’ They went off his foot. They went off his butt. They went off his shin pad. The other night, though, he came in and shot top shelf and beat a goalie. I thought ‘Wow, that’s an NHL shot.’”

It isn’t Crosby scoring these goals. It isn’t Evgeni Malkin. It isn’t Phil Kessel. It’s this third-round draft pick, who was described earlier this season by Hall of Fame Pittsburgh hockey writer Dave Molinari as 50 Shades of Bland.

“He just keeps doing it,” Crosby said. “He just keeps elevating his game.”

The Penguins are now two games away from the first back-to-back Stanley Cup championship in years. A year ago this time, when the Penguins were celebrating, Guentzel was home on the couch with his family.

“We sat on that couch together, and we’re thinking ‘Boy, it’s going to be hard to make that team next season,’” Mike said. “And here he is now. He’s on that team.”

He’s not just on that team. He’s leading them. He’s leading the playoffs in goal scoring. This team with two Hall of Fame centres, and he’s not playing with either of them. With five winning goals, he has to now be in the Conn Smythe conversation, if only for some kind of recognition.

A recognition that is no longer far fetched. Guentzel is starring in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He can do everything but grow a beard.

Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins’ young star in goal, plays beyond his years — again — in Stanley Cup final

Michael Traikos

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/

June 1, 2017

Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save on Roman Josi #59 of the Nashville Predators in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/NHLI via Getty Images)

NASHVILLE — It was a strange text. Then again, it had been a strange game.

Long after the Pittsburgh Penguins somehow walked away with a 5-3 win in a game where they managed just 12 shots, Matt Murray looked at his phone to discover his old goalie coach had sent him a congratulatory message.

“I’m calling that The Willy Wonka wild, weird wacky, winnny, wonderful, way to win,” texted Rick Evoy, who coached Murray from the ages of 11 to 15 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

If it was a weird way for Murray to win, it was a woeful way for Pekka Rinne to lose. It got even worse in Game 2 on Wednesday, when the Nashville Predators goalie was pulled after allowing four goals on 25 shots in a 4-1 loss.

Two games into the Stanley Cup final, a goalie who had been one of the favourites to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP has a .778 save percentage and is shouldering most of the blame for why the Penguins — and not the Predators, who have been the better team — are two wins away from repeating as champions.

Murray, meanwhile, is simply doing what he did at this time last year: playing beyond his years.

The Penguins goalie is not a veteran like Rinne. As someone who was eligible for the Calder Trophy this year, he might not even really be considered established.

But Murray, who has already won a Stanley Cup and is two wins away from winning another, has experience. A lot of it. Certainly, he has more than a 23-year-old should have.

And so far, his playoff experience might be the difference between him and Rinne, a first-time Cup finalist who is playing more like a rookie than a 34-year-old vet.

“The playoffs are such a different animal,” Murray told Postmedia in March. “The challenges you go through in the playoffs are completely different than what you go through in the regular season. It’s hard to describe, and I didn’t know what the differences were — and I still don’t, because I’m going through it now — but it’s just different.”

For Rinne, the final has been a different kind of learning experience. This is not only his first appearance in the final, but also the first time he reached the final four. The pressure has mounted with each round. And while Rinne had been more than solid for the first three rounds, posting a 1.70 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage, he has been a different goalie since then.

The stage looked too big for Rinne in Game 2, when he bobbled a pair of rebounds on Pittsburgh’s first two goals. Murray, meanwhile, looks like he’s barely breaking a sweat.

We said this last year when a goalie with just 13 games under his belt in the regular season came out of nowhere and outperformed Braden Holtby and Martin Jones. And since Murray returned from injury and replaced Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final, we’re saying it again.

With a 1.54 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage, Murray’s been the best goalie in the playoffs. Heading into Game 3, it’s not even close anymore.

“For me, it’s fun to watch, of course,” said Evoy. “I’ve always said he is going to be one of the most boring goalies you’re going to watch, because he’s always in position and no save really looks like a good save.”

Rinne, on the other hand, has been needlessly putting himself out of position. He’s chasing the play, rather than letting pucks hit him. The way that he has given up rebounds, his pads might as well be made of rubber.

It looks like the Penguins are inside his head. At the very least, the number of goals he has allowed has caused some to question whether backup goalie Juuse Saros, who is one year younger than Murray, should start in Game 3.

Predators head coach Peter Laviolette would not announce who will be in net on Saturday, but it’s likely going to be Rinne. After all, he got the team further than it had previously gone in its 19-year existence. And his 7-1 record (.947 save percentage) at home this postseason — he is also 3-0 with a .949 save percentage in Game 3s — makes it an easy decision with the game being played in Nashville.

But after two bad games, you can expect the leash on Rinne will be what former NHL coach Ron Wilson used to characterize as “Chihuahua short.”

As for Murray, there are no doubts he will give Pittsburgh a chance to win. With every save and with every win, he’s looking less and less like some one-year wonder, but rather a goalie who is up there with Carey Price, Jonathan Quick and Henrik Lundqvist.

Heck, two wins away from winning his second straight Stanley Cup, he might even be better already.

“He’s going to make some noise in the records, for sure,” said Evoy. “I think by the end of it, he’s going to be up in that area (with the best). He’s up with there (Patrick) Roy now already, with 20 (playoff) wins as a rookie.

“And it’s just starting. Where is it all going to end?”

Penguins Stanley Cup Final series isn't as close as some make it seem

By Mark Madden

http://www.timesonline.com/sports

June 2, 2017

Scott Wilson #23 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a goal past Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators during the third period in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Stanley Cup Final has been exciting, as championship series usually are. There have been some unusual twists and turns.

But the Penguins winning the first two games at home is no surprise.

The No. 2 seed should beat the No. 16 seed.

The non-stop attempt by the national hockey media to hype this series as an even match up is being folded, spindled and mutilated. But it continues, even with the Penguins ahead two games to none: Keith Jones of NBC said the series will return to Pittsburgh for Game 5 tied at 2-2.

That could happen. But I’d bet $100 against a dead catfish that it doesn’t.

Look at what’s happened so far:

Nashville’s vaunted top-four defense corps of Bobby Orr, Doug Harvey, Eddie Shore and Nicklas Lidstrom are minus-12 total with a goal and two assists.

The “best defense in the NHL”? Not so far.

Predators goalie Pekka Rinne blew both games. Rinne allowed three goals in 3:18 in Game 2, three goals in 4:11 in Game 1. Rinne also allowed Jake Guentzel’s game-winner in Game 1 after not seeing a shot for 37 minutes.

Rinne’s teammates conceded an own goal in each game, and he was beaten by a few slick finishes. But if he’s Nashville’s best player, Rinne can’t implode for any reason, good or bad. Not in the Stanley Cup Final.

Rinne is a great goaltender. Just not against the Penguins. Rinne has zero wins and nine losses as a starter vs. Pittsburgh.

The Penguins didn’t play very well in Games 1 and 2. In fact, they never really found their stride until the third period of Game 2.

But, as champions do, the Penguins have a finely honed sense of opportunism.

More important, they are the No. 2 seed playing the No. 16 seed. The Predators are the worst foe the Penguins have faced in these playoffs.

The Penguins did the postseason backward. They faced the 108-point team, then the 118-point team – followed by the 98-point team and the 94-point team. The 4 seed, the 1 seed, the 12 seed and the 16 seed, in that order.

It didn’t get harder. It got easier.

Things are tight in Nashville.

P.K. Subban predicted a Game 3 win, which smacks more of desperation than inspiration.

Coach Peter Laviolette seems to be wavering between Rinne and backup goalie Juuse Saros to start Game 3 tomorrow, though the smart money is on Rinne (which wouldn’t necessarily be the smart decision).

After Rinne mangled Game 1, the consensus was that if made a few saves early and got a lead Wednesday, he’d be OK. Both those things happened, and Rinne still butchered Game 2. If he comes good, it will be out of nowhere.

The Predators are 7-1 at home this postseason, so they’re counting on their fans to provide a boost tomorrow.

I wonder if any of them can play center?

The Predators are what I thought they were, and what their record dictates they are: Mediocre. During the regular season, they won 41 and lost 41. They are a .500 team that caught fire in the playoffs.

But now the Predators’ flame is flickering. Flickering despite bad puck management by the Penguins, a Penguins’ defensive corps that is struggling to ignite transition (thus largely handcuffing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin), and a Pittsburgh power play that was 0 of 7 in Game 2.

That’s what first-timers finalists do. They lose to defending champions.

If the Predators turn the series around, I’ll have to eat these words. No worries. That won’t happen.

Nashville might win a game, or even two. But the Predators won’t win enough.

Many chose to not see this as the mismatch it is. But it is.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

Penguins' Mike Sullivan on Evgeni Malkin: 'His play speaks for itself'

JONATHAN BOMBULIE

http://triblive.com/sports/

June 1, 2017

Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins faces off during the second period of Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvannia. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

On a rare off day deep in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan took a moment Thursday to appreciate the talents of superstar center Evgeni Malkin.

Capping off a three-goal, third-period outburst that led the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators the night before by scoring on a two-on-one with Phil Kessel, Malkin lengthened his lead over teammate Sidney Crosby in the NHL postseason scoring race.

Malkin has 26 points, including goals in each of the first two games of the final series, four points up on Crosby. Malkin has recorded at least one point in 16 of 21 playoff games. He has recorded more than one point in seven of them.

The Penguins lead the series 2-0, with Game 3 set for Saturday night in Nashville.

“I think his play speaks for itself,” Sullivan said. “He's one of those guys that we have on our team that has the ability to make a difference in one or two shifts. You saw that (in Game 2), although I thought he competed hard most of the night. The goal he scored is a goal scorer's goal. I think that's just the indication of the skill level that he has and the elite player that he is.”

Sullivan spoke to reporters via conference call as the team enjoyed a rare day off.

The NHL built in travel days to the Stanley Cup Final schedule, so every time the series switches venues, there will be a two-day break.

The Penguins had two days off between games only once in the first three rounds of the playoffs, getting the extra day between Games 4 and 5 of the Washington series.

“From our standpoint, it gives our team an opportunity to get a little bit of a rest so that we can reset our mindset here for Game 3,” Sullivan said.

Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes a shot during the second period of Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvannia. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

Last year, the Penguins won the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, had an extra day off for travel to San Jose and lost Game 3 in overtime.

“I think our players have a certain level of perspective because of the experiences they've been through,” Sullivan said. “They understand we accomplished what we wanted to starting at home, but they understand Game 3 is a new game. It's a new challenge. We have to just focus on the task at hand.

“We're not going to dwell on the games we just played. We're going to try to learn from those experiences and then we're going to move by it.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.comor via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.

MORE PENGUINS/NHL

Jake Guentzel scores twice as Penguins rout Nashville for 2-0 series lead 

Chipped Ice A.M.: Penguins' Jake Guentzel joins Conn Smythe discussion 

Jake Guentzel continues to make most of his opportunity with Penguins 

Plus-minus: Brian Dumoulin's two-way game helps anchor Penguins defense in Game 2 win 

Gorman: Matt Murray saves Penguins in Game 2 victory 

Mike Sullivan's move to unflappable Matt Murray has elevated Penguins' game

Kevin Allen , USA TODAY Sports
https://www.usatoday.com/sports
June 1, 2017


Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save against Viktor Arvidsson #38 of the Nashville Predators in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/NHLI via Getty Images)


PITTSBURGH — It wasn’t what Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said between periods that made the difference in Wednesday’s series-turning 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

It was what Sullivan did 12 days before.

That’s when he announced that Matt Murray would once again be the team’s starting goalie. Since then, the Penguins are 5-1. Since then, they have looked more dangerous. Since then, they have moved within two wins of becoming the first team in 19 years to repeat as Stanley Cup championships.

Nothing was wrong with the way Marc-Andre Fleury was playing in net, but it seems clear that Sullivan believed the team would perform better with Murray reinserted as the team's No. 1 goalie. He was right.

It’s about Murray’s unflappable demeanor. This is the Stanley Cup Final, and Murray acts as if he’s stopping shots out on the pond.

“He’s so mature, so poised,” Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole said.

The reporting of Game 2 will center on Jake Guentzel spearheading a third-period goal explosion to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Penguins have now scored nine goals, including one empty-netter, in the first two games. It's Penguins' tradition to score goals in bunches. It's who they are. It has been since the days when Mario Lemieux was a player, not the owner.

But it was Murray’s 37 saves that set the stage for Guentzel’s heroics. The Penguins have given up 10 goals in six games since Murray regained the starting job.

Players always say they play the same, regardless of who is in the net. But that's untrue. Unquestionably, the Penguins believed in Fleury. He’s a popular guy. But they are different with Murray in net.

Are they more confident? Do they have a more pronounced swagger? You can call it whatever you want, but they seem to have more flair when Murray is covering their rear.

“He never gets rattled,” Cole said. “He’s mature beyond his years.”

Murray is only 23, and yet it seems as if he’s already unlocked the secret of goaltending.

“It doesn’t matter if we are up or down, my job doesn’t change,” he said. “My job is to stop the puck... That's my mindset."

He is now 20-7 in his first 28 playoff appearances, and his numbers this postseason (1.54 goals-against average, .943 save percentage) are better than the statistics he had last season (2.08, .923) on Pittsburgh's championship team. According to Elias, only two goalies have gotten to 20 wins in the playoffs quicker -- Bill Durnan (26 games) and Patrick Roy (27).

Murray’s strong play has been made more valuable by the reality that Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne hasn’t looked invincible as he did earlier in the postseason.

“Pekka has been terrific through this entire playoffs,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “There are things we can do better. All three goals in the third period, we could have done something better. We’re leaving them odd-man rushes … making it more difficult.”

All of that is true. But it’s also true that Rinne let goals leak through him in each of the first two games.

This series is far from over. The Predators have showed themselves to be resilient in this postseason. But with Murray playing as sharply as he is, Rinne needs to be dominant again, and Nashville’s defensive coverage needs to be tighter, or this series will be shorter than anyone expected.

Two goals from rookie Jake Guentzel help lift Pittsburgh Penguins to 2-0 series lead over Nashville Predators

Michael Traikos

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/

June 1, 2017

Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins reacts after scoring a goal during the third period in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — Pekka Rinne closed his eyes and went back to a happy place.

It was the morning of Game 2, but the Nashville Predators goalie was somewhere else entirely. He had gone to a place where he had made the big saves, where he had picked up the big win, where he was once again the best goalie in the playoffs.

A lot of goaltending is played between the ears. And after Rinne had allowed four goals on 11 shots in Game 1, he wanted to feel good about his game again.

“Obviously, it’s a mental thing,” said Rinne, who entered the Stanley Cup final with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. “You look back to good games and make yourself feel good.”

After the Pittsburgh Penguins chased him from the net in a 4-1 win on Wednesday night, he might want to get back to that happy place again. At the very least, he needs to go to a place where Jake Guentzel doesn’t exist.

“Obviously, it’s very disappointing right now,” said Rinne. “We have to put it behind you. For me, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I waited a long time and it’s my first time having a chance to play for the Cup. You just have to bury these two games and find a way to have some success.”

Rinne, who had previously not lost two in a row in these playoffs, allowed four goals on 25 shots. That was more than he allowed in the entire first-round series against the Blackhawks.

But Pittsburgh is not Chicago. And this is not the same Rinne. The goalie who had been so dominant in the playoffs has now given up eight goals on 36 shots and has a .777 save percentage in the Stanley Cup final.

As a result, a Predators team that once again played well enough to win is once again shaking its heads after being down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series that is slipping from its grasp.

“When you lose a couple of games and get pulled, you’re obviously not happy with how things went,” said Rinne, who was last pulled on Feb. 21. “But you have to put those things behind you and focus on what you can control. For me, that’s Game 3.”

Game 3 is in Nashville on Saturday. And while the Predators desperately need Rinne to rebound and return to form, they also need a way to keep Guentzel, who has three goals in the series, off the scoresheet.

One thing is for sure: a new favourite has emerged for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores his first period goal past Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/NHLI via Getty Images)

“We’re not looking at anybody,” said Nashville defenceman P.K. Subban, when asked about Rinne’s performance. “We’re looking at ourselves. Right now, the focus shifts to we don’t lose in our building. So we’re going back home and we’re going to win the next game and we’ll see what happens after there.”

This game was closer to what we had expected out of these two uptempo teams. For one, they actually put pucks on the net.

In Game 1, the Penguins had gone 37 minutes — including the entire second period — without a shot. In Game 2, they had as many shots in the first period (12) as they did total in the previous game.

Still, it was Nashville striking first on a gorgeous individual effort from rookie Pontus Aberg. Skating one-on-one against Olli Maatta, the Predators rookie turned Maatta inside out on a deke and then cut towards the net and went upstairs on goalie Matt Murray.

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. At the other end, Rinne looked like he couldn’t wait for the period to end.

With less than four minutes remaining in the first, Game 1 hero Guentzel tied things up when he followed up a Conor Sheary rebound and snuck a backhand through Rinne’s equipment. After going the entire third round without scoring, the Penguins rookie has found his touch again.

Still, it was a goal that Rinne should have had. With the way Murray has been playing, it was a goal Rinne needed to have.

What made Rinne’s performance so deflating is that Nashville had been driving possession for most of Game 2 and might have actually been the better team. The Predators outshot the Penguins 18-12 in the first and 14-7 in the second. But the Penguins, who had needed just 12 shots to score five goals in Game 1, continued to be opportunistic.

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. Sensing their opponent was on the ropes and bleeding, the Penguins scored twice more in 15 seconds to chase Rinne from the net.

“It’s not the situation we wanted coming here,” said Rinne. “But it’s a (seven-game) series. Being down 2-0 coming home in front of our fans, we feel pretty good.”

mtraikos@postmedia.com

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/jake-guentzels-pair-of-goals-help-lift-pittsburgh-penguins-to-2-0-lead-over-nashville-predators-in-stanley-cup-final

Predators must avoid repeat to stop Penguins

Joe Rexrode , USA TODAY NETWORK -- Tennessee
http://www.tennessean.com/sports/predators/
May 31, 2017



Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a goal past Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators during the first period in Game Two of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena on May 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — The sports cliche that carried us into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final was a trusty one; it was the one about how we were going to “find out about the Predators” as they responded for the first time in this postseason to a series deficit.


I don’t think we did. I think we already knew what the Predators are, and I think they were that for much of Wednesday’s 4-1 loss at PPG Paints Arena — an excellent hockey team, hampered by injury but strengthened by belief, still capable of beating most other hockey teams. Just not the Pittsburgh Penguins, not so far.

It’s the Penguins that are learnin’ us up here. Those of us who don’t watch them closely every day, anyway. The defending champs featuring the game’s best player and tons of other talent, yes, everyone knows that, but the way they’ve won these first two games is why they’re close to ordering new business cards that say “repeat champs.”

And why I have no brilliant suggestions for Predators adjustments entering a must-have Game 3 on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena, other than: Don’t completely lose your grip on everything for a few minutes and destroy all the good work you do in the other minutes.

“There’s no real answer for it,” Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis said, but it happened late in the first period of Monday’s 4-3 loss in Game 1, and then it happened in the first four minutes of the third period of Game 2.

Three Penguins goals — one off a Predators player for the second straight contest — to chase Pekka Rinne with 16:29 left.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing right now,” said Rinne, who has given up eight goals on 36 shots after he was arguably the best NHL player in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

After the eighth, the party was on, no third-period drama or catfish in sight. No interruption of this civic meeting between appropriately rowdy fans and a hockey team well on its way to retaining the Cup. If the best player on the ice Wednesday, Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray, keeps playing like this, it’s going to be difficult for the Predators to make a serious run at it.

But don’t be confused by this final score. The Predators are playing well. Other than a few costly mistakes. And other than Rinne. Of course, that’s not the guy you want to be struggling.

Just as in Game 1, two of the four goals Rinne gave up came on shots he has to stop — a tying first-period poke from in front of the net by Jake Guentzel, and the Evgeni Malkin blast on an odd-man rush that chased him.

The tiebreaker 10 seconds into the third period came after Roman Josi lost the puck in the neutral zone, and Rinne gave up a big rebound on a Bryan Rust shot. Guentzel was there again.

“I think that put us on our heels a little bit,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said.

Vern Fiddler was Nashville’s “own goal” victim this time, his skate sneaking it past Rinne and sending this one sharply into laugher territory. All of which wasted the prettiest Nashville goal of the postseason, a filthy move from Pontus Aberg in the first to beat Olli Maatta and leave Murray alone and helpless.

Sometimes the other team is just better when it counts, and this Penguins team is the best at shrugging off any number of issues and any length of subpar play, and making the winning ones anyway.

It helps to have the great Sidney Crosby, but the Penguins are like the Predators in their ability to elicit help from a wide range of sources. Now the Predators must look to Rinne, who absolutely should be in net for Game 3 and absolutely must be great.

Laviolette was asked twice about Rinne’s status for Game 3 and did not answer directly, but don’t read into that — Laviolette doesn’t and won’t talk about his lineup before a game. He did say Rinne has been “excellent” all postseason and that all three goals in the third period started with defensive mistakes.

“Our mindset doesn’t change with Pekks,” Ellis insisted of Rinne. “He’s our MVP, he’s our best player. He stands on his head every night. It’s not what Pekks is doing wrong, it’s the guys in front of him. And we need to shore up our system and be smarter with what we’re doing out there.”

And they will look forward to what should be an extraordinary scene Saturday — please remember, fans, there is such a thing as too much catfish — and see if they can get a win and change this thing.

“We’re getting ready for the next game, win that one and then we’ll move forward,” said Predators defenseman P.K. Subban, who got into a half fight/half wrestling match with Penguins center Evgeni Malkin late in the game. “I thought we could always play better. We can do a lot of things differently. But both games were decided probably in a span of 3 minutes, so you know, that’s a championship team there. They know how to win. We’ve got to play a full 60. And we will next game.”

They must resist the urge to look back again at Monday’s Game 1, though I will. That’s the one they should have had. A controlling performance, a few lost minutes after a couple bad calls, a couple of mistakes — sound familiar? — that cost them the game. An opportunity you have to grab once you get to this last leg of the chase for a Stanley Cup.

They trailed a series in these playoffs for the first time Monday and they were in trouble in a series for the first time as of late Wednesday night. The Predators can play with the Penguins, absolutely, and they can beat them, but now they must beat them four times in five games.

It’s possible. Anything is possible with these Predators, as the cliche goes, and they have earned the right to have that one said about them. It’s also possible that the Stanley Cup Final, which just got started, is exactly halfway finished.