Photo courtesy of predators.nhl.com
The Nashville Predators were ready to step up at they played the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night. That wasn’t the case with their execution however, as they now trail 2-0 in the series after losing 4-1 in the second game.
There were plenty of penalties from both teams to start the game, as everything from cross-checking to hooking and interference was called. Breaking up the barrage of penalties was Nashville’s Pontus Aberg, netting a wrist-shot past Penguins’ goaltender Matt Murray. Aberg’s goal was assisted by Viktor Arvidsson and Mike Fisher.
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WHERE MAMA HIDES THE COOKIES ? pic.twitter.com/KHRtQWZB2J— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 1, 2017
The Penguins answered at the 16:36 mark of the period when Jake Guentzel scored their first goal of the night, assisted by Conor Sheary and Chris Kunitz.
The second period was relatively uneventful as no goals were scored and only two penalties were committed. Both teams returned to the ice for the deciding third period, with the score tied at 1.
This was the downfall of the Preds, as Guentzel scored his second goal of the game a mere ten seconds into the period. The Penguins added two more goals in just under three and a half minutes, leading to Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne’s exit from the game. His backup, Juuse Saros, wasn’t scored upon, but the deficit was just too much and the Penguins defeated the Predators by a final score of 4-1.
What’s next?
This outcome was not what the Predators wanted, but they’re keeping their heads held high as they look forward to being on home ice.
The two teams will head to Nashville to play a pivotal Game 3 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bridestone Arena.
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