Penguins crush Predators, take 3-2 lead

PITTSBURGH » The night started with a catfish throw.

It ended with haymaker after haymaker — both literal and proverbial — from the ever resilient Penguins.

The defending champions provided an emphatic and repeated reminder of what makes them such a difficult out in a 6-0 demolition of the Predators in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to take a 3-2 lead.

Pittsburgh will have a chance to become the first franchise in 19 years to win back-to-back Cups when the series shifts back to Nashville for Game 6 on June 11.

“Understand that we’re going to play a desperate team,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby after collecting three assists. “Nothing’s done yet and we’ve got a lot of work ahead of ourselves.”

So do the Predators, who can’t get back to Smashville fast enough.

Justin Schultz, Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin scored during a first-period barrage against Pekka Rinne that sent the Nashville goaltender to the bench for the rest of the night, all the good mojo he created during a pair of wins in Games 3 and 4 gone.

Conor Sheary, Phil Kessel — just as linemate Malkin predicted — and 35-year-old playoff newbie Ron Hainsey also scored for the Penguins. Crosby’s eventful night included becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer in the Stanley Cup Final, a two-minute roughing penalty for trying to dribble Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban’s head on the ice near the end of the first period and a flip of a water bottle onto the ice during play.

“It’s just one of those things it slipped out of my hand,” Crosby said. “I had a gesture with my hand and before I knew it the thing was flying across the ice. I know you’re not allowed to do that, so I’m not going to start doing it in the Stanley Cup Final.”

Matt Murray bounced back from so-so performances during Pittsburgh’s lost weekend in Nashville to make 24 stops while also benefiting from a dominant performance by the guys in front of him.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, as he has for each of the last two springs when his team finds itself in a tight spot, pushed all the right buttons again. He stuck with Murray, reunited Sheary with Crosby and Jake Guentzel, and stressed his team needed to play with urgency but not desperation after the Predators rallied to tie the series by outscoring the Penguins 9-2 during two wins in Nashville.

It took all of 91 seconds for Pittsburgh to get its swagger back.

GENE J. PUSKAR — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Penguins’ Ron Hainsey gets a shot behind Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros during the second period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 8 in Pittsburgh. The Penguins won, 6-0.