Predators and Rinne pose big challenge to Penguins
Five reasons why this Stanley Cup final mismatch on paper should be anything but
On paper, it looks like a mismatch.
It’s the defending champions against a team featuring just one player with Stanley Cup final experience. It’s the No. 2 seed against the worst-ranked team in the playoffs. It’s Sidney Crosby against a No. 1 centre named Colton Sissons, who had just eight goals and two assists in 58 games this season.
Even Nashville’s Austin Watson understands why Pittsburgh is considered the favourite heading into the final.
“Pittsburgh’s a great team,” the Predators forward said Friday. “To be able to win the final and be back in the second year, they’ve got a lot that they’re doing well. They have a lot of depth up front, some of the best players in the league, and a lot of good supporting players, a good D and a great goalie on the back end. So we know it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
And yet, before we start debating whether back-to-back Cups will make the Penguins a dynasty team, don’t overlook Nashville.
The Penguins were the better team in the regular season, but that season ended almost three months ago. Once the playoffs began, it’s difficult not to be impressed with how the Predators swept the Blackhawks, then overwhelmed the Blues and Ducks.
“It’s a brand new season,” Watson said. “I’m not really looking at the standings or where a team finished. We know Pittsburgh is an incredible hockey team and finished really high in the east. We came in as the 16th seed, but right now we’re playing the best that we’ve played all year and it’s worked out for us this far.”
With the final beginning Monday, here are five reasons why Pittsburgh could have its hands full with Nashville.
CONN SMYTHE CONTENDER
No offence to Craig Anderson, who was spectacular for the Senators, especially against the Penguins, but Pekka Rinne is on another level right now.
The Nashville goalie is 12-4 in the playoffs, with a 1.70 goalsagainst average and a .941 save percentage. And it hasn’t come easy.
Rinne held Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf, St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko and Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to a combined three goals. The most impressive stat: he has followed up each of his four losses with a win where he allowed just one goal.
“He’s so solid,” defenceman Mattias Ekholm said. “He’s been lights-out this year and especially this post-season.”
THICK BLUE-LINE
While the Penguins have been getting by with a no-name blue-line held together by duct tape and spit, the Predators have arguably the most impressive top four in the NHL. Any one of them could be a No. 1 defenceman on another team, but in Nashville, each fits in and fulfils an important role, including providing offence.
Roman Josi leads all defencemen in the playoffs with five goals. His partner, Ryan Ellis, is second behind Erik Karlsson with 11 points. P.K Subban has been used in a shutdown role but still has 10 points, including five assists on the power play. And his partner, Mattias Ekholm, is a plus-10 and has chipped in with eight assists. Combined, they have accounted for nearly 25 per cent of the team’s offence.
MR. CLUTCH
The Predators do not have a player ranked in the top five in playoff scoring. But in Filip Forsberg, the team has another Conn Smythe candidate.
Forsberg is tied for second in goals (8), is riding a seven-game point streak and has quickly gained a reputation for coming up big when it matters the most. When Ryan Johansen suffered a playoff-ending injury in the conference final, Forsberg stepped up, scoring in five of the six games and picking up five of his seven points in the third period.
“We kind of call him Mr. Clutch now,” Yannick Weber said. “It’s definitely great to see him peak at the right moment.”
PACE OF PLAY
After being bored to death by Ottawa’s sit-back-and-trap style, the Penguins’ heads are going to be spinning by just how fast and aggressive the Predators play. This is a quick team that likes to use its speed to its advantage by pushing the pace.
Against the Ducks, the Predators had a full-court press going the entire series, with the defence playing as high as the centre red-line. What this does is pressure the opposition into making mistakes and causing turnovers.
“It’s pretty rare to see a team that expects their players to do that for the whole 60 minutes and that’s what they do,” Anaheim defenceman Cam Fowler said. “It’s effective. It’s hard to play against.”
RESTED AND READY
The Penguins have played back-to-back series that went seven games, including a double-overtime and two other overtimes. Their defence is so banged up and bruised that Brian Dumoulin and Ron Hainsey are logging more than 21 minutes each. Now they will face a Predators team that has played three fewer games.
Nashville is missing bodies and has players reaching for ice packs after each period. But the Predators have travelled a relatively easy road in these playoffs. They swept their first-round series against the Blackhawks and have required overtime only twice in the last 13 games.
The team won’t be getting Johansen or winger Kevin Fiala back, but captain Mike Fisher is expected to play in Game 1 after missing the last two games.
It’s pretty rare to see a team that expects their players to do that for the whole 60 minutes and that’s what they do