Subban: Preds will win Game 3
NASHVILLE — A good night’s sleep has P.K. Subban more confident than ever about what the Nashville Predators will do on their home ice trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals.
He delivered an AllStar guarantee for Saturday night.
“There’s no question,” Subban said Thursday. “We’re going to win the next game, and then we’ll move forward.” Subban came very close to guaranteeing a win in the moments after Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win Wednesday night. The Penguins turned a 1-1 game into a rout by scoring three goals in the first 3:28 of the third period , forcing Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette to pull goaltender Pekka Rinne for rookie Juuse Saros.
On Thursday, Nashville’s All-Star defenseman channeled Mark Messier, who backed up his own guarantee of a Rangers’ win against New Jersey in the 1994 Eastern Conference finals. Subban explained why he is so confident, noting the Predators know they deserve to be playing for the Stanley Cup.
“We’re capable of playing even better than we did in Pittsburgh, and I thought we played some great hockey,” Subban said. “I mean, out of 120 minutes, maybe we’d like to take back six of them. Ultimately, we have to be realistic with where we’re at. We’re down 2-nothing. We’re coming back in our barn, and we don’t lose here. So it starts Saturday.”
Laviolette gave no hint about whether Rinne will start Game 3, saying only that he will not talk about lineup changes. The Predators’ coach said his goalies know who will start.
Returning home should provide a boost for the Predators. They are 7-1 inside Bridgestone Arena this postseason with the lone loss coming in overtime. They expect a loud arena for Game 3, which is the first Cup Finals home game in Nashville history and comes on a Saturday night.
“I’m sure they’ll hear the noise and the energy in the building,” Subban said of the Penguins. “It’s a fun atmosphere to play.”