Around the NHL: Penguins Rout Predators in Game 5

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

So far in the Stanley Cup Final, the defending champions had yet to really dominate a game. Even their two wins on home ice in Games 1 and 2 were not dominant 60-minute efforts as much as scoring in spurts.

Game 5 was a much different story. This was domination.

The Penguins scored three goals in the first and three goals in the second to roll to an easy 6-0 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday.

An early power play gave the Penguins a chance to strike first and they did. A point shot by Justin Schultz made its way by Pekka Rinne to give Pittsburgh the lead at 1:31. 

Bryan Rust added to the lead at 6:43. Coming as the late guy on the rush, Rust took a pass from Chris Kunitz as he cut through the slot and went to the backhand to beat Rinne and make it 2-0.

To that point, it has been all Pittsburgh for seven minutes, but Nashville started to even the level of play in the final minutes of the first. But at 4-on-4 and looking to get off the ice with a two-goal deficit, another last-minute goal put the Predators away early.

Phil Kessel set up Evgeni Malkin for a rising shot over Rinne's left shoulder, making it 3-0 with 10 seconds left in the first. Rinne allowed three goals on nine shots in the first period. He was replaced by Juuse Saros for the second.

Things didn't go much better for Saros. Sidney Crosby set up Conor Sheary at the front of the net for a goal just 1:19 in, erasing any thoughts of a rally for Nashville from a 3-0 deficit like in Game 1. 

Kessel scored his first goal of the series at 8:02 to make it 5-0. Ron Hainsey scored just his second goal of the playoffs at 16:40 to complete the scoring.

Saros didn't fare much better than Rinne, allowing three goals on 15 shots.

Meanwhile, it was a relatively quiet 24 saves for Matt Murray, who rebounded from a couple of rough starts in Nashville to blank the Predators in Game 5.

So the series heads back to Nashville for Game 6 on Sunday. For the Predators, it's win or a magical run to the Final falls two wins short. For the Penguins, a second straight Stanley Cup title is on the line.

Game 6 is set for 8 p.m. from Nashville.