Pittsburgh Penguins hammer home advantage to take two-game lead in Stanley Cup final
Three-minute blitz featuring goals from Jake Guentzel, Scott Wilson and Evgeni Malkin sees defending champions pull away from Nashville Predators
The Pittsburgh Penguins kept Pekka Rinne plenty busy this time. Too busy for Rinne and the rest of the Nashville Predators to keep up with the surging defending Stanley Cup champions.
Jake Guentzel, Scott Wilson and Evgeni Malkin scored three minutes and 18 seconds apart early in the third period as the Penguins chased Rinne and pulled away for a 4-1 victory in game two of the Stanley Cup final.
The Penguins lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. Game three is on Saturday night in Nashville in what amounts to a last stand for the Predators and their suddenly average-looking goalie.
The 22-year-old Guentzel finished with two goals to give him an NHL-high 12 during the play-offs, the second-most by a rookie in post-season history.
“It’s crazy,” Guentzel said. “You can’t even put into words what it feels. But we know the ultimate goal is two more wins and they’re going to be tough to get.”
Matt Murray played spectacularly at times through the first two periods, buying his teammates enough time to find their footing and get to Rinne.