Rinne steady in goal, Predators roll at home
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators are very hard to beat on their home ice this postseason, and now they have added their biggest piece of franchise history yet.
A victory in the Stanley Cup Final.
The embattled Rinne not only started, he made 27 saves. Roman Josi and Frederick Gaudreau scored 42 seconds apart in the second period, and the Predators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Saturday night to pull within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The Predators capped the party in Nashville with a victory that gave thousands of fans inside and outside of the arena reason to celebrate.
Credit Rinne for coming through with a stingy performance and improving to
8-1 in Nashville this postseason.
The Predators call the 6-foot-5 Finn their backbone, yet critics wanted him benched after he looked shaky in the first two games in Pittsburgh, giving up eight goals on just 36 shots. Coach Peter Laviolette benched him in the third period of Game 2 when Rinne gave up three goals in the first 3:28 of a 4-1 loss.
Josi added two assists. James Neal, Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm also scored as the Predators worked out some frustration against the Penguins.
"Like our team has done the whole playoffs against Chicago, St. Louis, Anaheim, we showed really good composure," said Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban, who had predicted a win in Game 3. "We're going to take that into the next game."
Game 4 is Monday night.
Jake Guentzel scored his 13th goal this postseason and fourth of this series for Pittsburgh and now is one off Dino Ciccarelli's rookie record of 14 in 1981 for Minnesota. Guentzel, already with two game-winning goals in the series, put the Penguins up 1-0 on their second shot with a wrister off a rebound that beat Rinne just 2:46 into the game.
But Rinne stopped the next 26 shots for the victory and the party continued into the night.
Laviolette stuck with Rinne after lots of questions about his goalie, though he did sit veterans Cody McLeod and Vern Fiddler to get more speed with Harry Zolnierczyk and P.A. Parenteau. Pittsburgh forward Carl Hagelin played for the first time with center Nick Bonino out after taking a Subban slap shot off his left foot in Game 2 that left him on crutches and in a walking boot.
Matt Murray extended his scoreless streak to 72 minutes, 54 seconds, with the Pittsburgh goalie looking ready to notch his 21st playoff win. Then he gave up five goals in the span of 15 shots.
The Predators got it started with a threegoal flurry in the second.
Josi scored his sixth goal off a slap shot at 5:51 , tying it at 1. Then Gaudreau scored 42 seconds later to put Nashville ahead with his wrister from the high slot.
Neal made it 3-1 with 22.6 seconds left in the second, banking the puck off Murray's left arm. Smith's goal on a breakaway at 4:54 was his first of the playoffs, and Ekholm padded the lead with a power-play goal with 6:50 left.