Nashville Wins Game Three

I missed all but the final five minutes of Nashville's 5-1 game three victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins due to travel. So I honestly can comment too much on the game itself. So I will post some highlights from the NHL's Morning Skate media release instead:

Down 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Predators scored five unanswered goals – including two in a 42-second span of the second period – to earn their first Stanley Cup Final win and cut their series deficit in half.

* The Predators improved to 8-1 on home ice this postseason (with their lone loss in OT), outscoring the opposition 30-14. Pekka Rinne, who made 27 saves, owns a 1.49 goals-against average and .949 save percentage in those contests.

* Three Predators registered multiple points, including defensemen Roman Josi (1-2—3) and Mattias Ekholm (1-1—2). Nashville blueliners have combined for 14-36—50 during the playoffs (19 GP), tops in the NHL.

* Ekholm (1-9—10) became the fourth Predators defenseman to reach double-digits in scoring this postseason, joining Josi (6-8—14), Ryan Ellis (5-7—12) and P.K. Subban (2-9—11). Only two other teams in NHL history have had four blueliners each record at least 10 points in the same playoff year: the 1984 Oilers and 1993 Kings.

* Josi, who factored on all three Nashville goals in the middle frame, registered his sixth tally of the playoffs, most among defensemen. Elias notes that he became the first blueliner to post three points in one period of a Stanley Cup Final game since Pittsburgh’s Larry Murphy on May 23, 1991 vs. MNS (0-3—3 in 1st period).