Pens look to finish off Flyers
PITTSBURGH
— Mario Lemieux had one question for Sidney Crosby after the superstar slipped past his boss as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ career playoff scoring leader during a Game 4 romp over Philadelphia.
“He asked what took so long,” Crosby said with a laugh.
Lemieux’s joke carried with it a pair of messages.
The first is a not-so-subtle reminder to his protege that it took Crosby 152 games to reach 173 playoff points, while Lemieux only needed 107 to get to 172. The second is a nod to Crosby’s playoff excellence. He slipped by his boss because the Penguins — thanks in no small part to their captain — keep finding a way to win in the post-season.
A victory over Philadelphia in Game 5 on Friday would push the Penguins into the second round for the fifth time in six years and move them a step closer to becoming the first team in 35 years to win three straight Stanley Cups. Pittsburgh has gotten there by developing a killer instinct under head coach Mike Sullivan that it lacked at times before his arrival in December 2015.
The Penguins are 8-5 when given a chance to clinch a playoff series since Sullivan took over. They were 4-9 in potential clinching games from 2010-15.
Sullivan plays down his role in it, preferring to put the emphasis on his star-laden roster.
“This group of players has a real strong competitive spirit and I think it’s hard to win in this game if you don’t,” Sullivan said. “I think it starts with our core players.”
The team the Penguins edged in six taut games during the 2017 Cup final have their own shot to move on Friday. The Nashville Predators clinched all three of their playoff series a year ago at home a year ago in reaching their first Stanley Cup final, and have a chance to close out Colorado in Smashville in Game 5.
They can assure themselves of a weekend of rest if they avoid a return trip to Denver.
“It’s huge that we have a chance to finish the series at home,” Predators goalie Pekka Rinne said. “Obviously, that’s something that is in the back of your head. We want to take it so bad and have this opportunity. But it’s a good team so we have to play again like this and I think that will be.”
The Predators tried to make sure they’re well rested by flying back to Tennessee on Thursday, and they will have a chance to advance against Colorado’s backup to the backup goalie. Avs coach Jared Bednar announced that Andrew Hammond will start Game 5 with Jonathan Bernier injured.
Hammond stepped in and stopped all eight shots he faced in relief of Bernier in Nashville’s 3-2 win on Wednesday.