New York: Roman Josi finished with three points and embattled netminder Pekke Rinne stopped 27 shots as the Nashville Predators routed Pittsburgh 5-1 on Saturday to cut the Penguins lead to 2-1 in the Stanley Cup finals.
The 27-year-old Swiss Josi helped stake the Predators to a 3-1 lead at the end of the second period after Pittsburgh had opened the scoring in the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
These Stanley Cup play-offs are allowing Josi to step out of the shadows. Prior to this season his biggest claim to fame was that he was the defensive partner on the Predators of Canadian Olympic star Shea Weber, who was traded to Montreal in the offseason.
“He is as consistent a player as there is in the NHL,” said Predators coach Peter Laviolette of Josi.
The Predators backed up a pre-game boast by defenceman P.K. Subban with their first win of the best-of-seven series in their opening home game of the finals.
Subban had “guaranteed” a victory after the Predators lost the first two games in Pittsburgh by the combined score of 9-4.
Despite his bravado, though, Subban wasn’t one of the big offensive contributors on Saturday as he finished with no points and three shots on goal.
Nashville used a balanced scoring attack in game three as Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Frederick Gaudreau, Craig Smith and James Neal all scored.
“I just thought the pucks were going our way,” said Smith.
Rinne, who struggled in game two, was brilliant in game three as he improved to 8-1 in the 2017 play-offs with a goals against average of less than 2.00. Rinne was pulled from game two after giving up a couple of soft goals.
Despite his off night, Laviolette said he didn’t think twice about starting Finland’s Rinne in game three.
“There was no decision. His game tonight was rock solid,” he said.
Jake Guentzel, with his 13th of the postseason, scored the lone Penguin goal.
Their intense, aggressive style in front of all-star goaltender Rinne, draws comparisons to the 2004 Calgary Flames who lost in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning’s championship parade that year was dwarfed in size by the numbers involved in Calgary’s runner-up parade. Nashville fans appear to be just as emotionally invested in their Predators, win-or-lose, as the Flames’ fans were.
An estimated 50,000 Predator fans, watched by about 100 police officers, converged on the downtown area to celebrate.
“We are really proud to be part of it,” said Rinne of the fans enthusiasm.
