Around the NHL: Highlights and Analysis from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Stanley Cup Final shifted to Nashville on Saturday night and Music City packed a punch, complete with catfish, chants and a few goals too.

The Predators announced their presence, getting back into the series with a 5-1 win in Game 3 to cut into the Penguins series lead, 2-1.

As in Game 2, the team that scored first didn't find the back of the net for the remainder of the game. With the Penguins looking to put a stranglehold on the series, they got off to a quick start.

Ian Cole fired a shot from the blue line that Pekka Rinne stopped. But a juicy rebound went right to goal-scorer extraordinaire Jake Guentzel, who scored his fourth goal in three games at 2:46 to put Pittsburgh on top.

Nashville started to push back late in the first, and finally got their chance on the man-advantage in the early stages of the second.

Calle Jarnkrok connected on a nice saucer pass to Roman Josi, who controlled it and fired a slap shot that deflected off the glove of Carter Rowney and past Matt Murray to tie the game. 

Just 42 seconds later, with Bridgestone Arena still buzzing, Frederick Gaudreau cut through the neutral zone and fired a high shot from the slot to beat Murray again and give Nashville the lead.

The 2-1 lead held into the final minute of the second period when the Predators finally got some breathing room. After a great hustle play by Viktor Arvidsson allowed Nashville to gain control in the Pittsburgh zone, Josi broke his stick on a slap shot. But Arvidsson gained control again behind the net and eventually set up James Neal at the side of the net, who batted at the puck and banked it off of Murray's glove and in to make it 3-1 Nashville with 22 seconds left in the period.

With a two-goal lead, Nashville could smell a win. They got all the insurance they would need at 4:54. Craig Smith took advantage of a Pittsburgh turnover in the neutral zone and roared in on a breakaway, beating Murray to the glove side to make it 4-1.

On another power play with under eight minutes to play in the game, Mattias Ekholm sealed it for good with a rising shot targeted for the top corner. It was his first goal of the playoffs.

Rinne finished with 27 saves, while Murray allowed more goals in Game 3 than in the first two games combined. The series stays in Nashville for Game 4 on Monday night.

Analysis

The second period of this game was the blueprint for the Predators success in the playoffs. The defense was involved, the forecheck was relentless and the chances were finding the back of the net.

There's an element of luck that the Predators didn't have in the first two games. They may have been the more dominant team at times in each of the first two games, and aside from a late goal in Game 1 after 37 minutes without allowing a shot on goal or a span of four minutes where Pittsburgh scored three goals in Game 2, the series could be very different.

As I said after Game 1, Nashville has come to play in this Final. Game 3's result was finally representative of the play on the ice. That's hockey. Game 1 was certainly not Pittsburgh's best game, and with the way Nashville was playing that night, should have gone to the Predators.

What really stood out though was nothing surprising. The Nashville crowd was absolutely electric from start to finish. And just when you thought Jake Guentzel's early goal signaled a long night for Nashville, the Predators responded with their best period of the playoffs so far in the second. 

When P.K. Subban said Nashville was going to win Game 3, that wasn't going out on a limb. It was basically win or face the inevitable for Nashville in Game 3. What this game does now is set up a huge game for both sides on Monday night.

The Predators can certainly feel good about the Game 3 result, but a loss in Game 4 wipes that out completely and essentially has the same effect as a Game 3 loss would. It simply means Nashville faces the inevitable again, and with Game 5 in Pittsburgh no less. But a win in Game 4 evens the series, gives them a chance to steal a game in Pittsburgh in Game 5 and guarantees a return to Nashville for Game 6, where they could have a chance to end the series.

For Pittsburgh, a tied series would not be the end of the world, but it makes things way more interesting obviously. Nashville has been a capable road team in the playoffs, so stealing a Game 5 in Pittsburgh for them is not out of the question. The Penguins can still put a stranglehold on the series by winning Game 4 and setting up a clinching scenario in Game 5.

That scenario could constantly fluctuate throughout Game 4, so it is an absolutely crucial game, setting up what is sure to be an entertaining and exciting game on Monday.