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Pittsburgh Penguins Lose Both Games in Nashville; Series Tied 2-2

By Melissa Nelson

Jun 5, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) in game four of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 5, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) in game four of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Penguins had some great chances. But it wasn’t enough, as the Nashville Predators took game 4 by a score of 4-1.

Predators Score Three Unanswered Goals

The first period was closely matched and well-fought. Nashville opened the scoring when Calle Jarnkrok put in a rebound. The Penguins challenged the goal on the basis of goaltender interference, but the goal stood.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

A little more than a minute later, Sidney Crosby tied things up when Brian Dumoulin sprung him on a breakaway. Crosby put the puck off the post, which then bounced off of Pekka Rinne’s skate and in.

The Predators got the go-ahead goal when Frederick Gaudreau scored on a wraparound. At first, it appeared that Murray had made the save, but a later review showed that the puck had crossed the goal line before being swept away by Murray.

The Predators went up 3-1 in the game when Viktor Arvidsson got a breakaway and wristed the puck over Matt Murray’s glove. Filip Forsberg sealed the win for the Predators when he scored an empty-net goal at 16:37.

Pens Special Teams Improve

The Pens’ special teams were much, much better in this game. The penalty kill was once again great, and held the Predators to no shots in their two power play attempts. The Pens’ power play, which had been abysmal previously, looked much better. The Pens moved the puck well, maintained the zone and got good chances. There were no power play goals, but the Pens did have 3 shots.

What to Change in Game 5

Despite the score, the Penguins had a better game than they did in game 3. Murray made some incredible saves, stopping 22 of 25 pieces of rubber that came his way. The Pens’ offense generated 24 shots and a lot of really good chances—including three breakaways and one beautiful wraparound from Evgeni Malkin.

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So what do the Pens do in order to take control of the series?

For one thing, they need to convert on their power play attempts. Just getting shots isn’t enough. The Pens also need to tighten their defense. The Nashville forecheck and physical style have consistently been beating Pittsburgh’s defense.

Mike Sullivan should also consider shaking up the lines. In the past, the Pens’ head coach hasn’t been the least bit shy about changing lines. This technique has been successful in shaking up the team in the past.

But for some reason, Sullivan didn’t change the lines in game 4. A line that really could’ve used changing was Crosby’s line. Bryan Rust was not productive on Sid’s line; he had no points and one shot. Bumping Rust down and replacing him with Patric Hornqvist or Conor Sheary may have resulted in more offense from the first line.

The Penguins return to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Thursday night. This series has become a best-of-three, now that Nashville has evened things up. The Pens need to start it off right with a win on home ice.

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