The Predators Punch Ticket To First Ever Stanley Cup Final.
For the first time in their 19-year history, The Nashville Predators will be in the Stanley Cup Finals after eliminating the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night in Music City. In Game Six, Nashville defeated the Ducks 6-3 with the help of center Colton Sissons (5G, 5A) who scored the game-winning goal in the third to complete his hat trick. Don’t let the score fool you, it was quite a nail biter in the final period. The Predators found themselves with a 3-1 lead early in the third, but the will of Anaheim would bounce back and tie it up halfway through. Sissons, who had only scored eight goals all season, became the hero and was followed by two empty net goals that solidified Nashville’s trip to the finals.
This would be quite a feat after the adversity they have faced during the postseason. They came in at the 16th seed and have lost star center Ryan Johansen (3G, 10A) in Game Four of this series to a thigh injury. Their captain, the struggling Mike Fisher (0G, 0A), also has missed two games with an injury, but the Predators are optimistic he’ll be ready for the finals. Regardless, Nashville has powered through and, behind the dazzling play of goaltender Pekka Rinne (12W, 1.70 GAA, .941 Sv%), plan on making their first go at the finals quite a spectacle.
The Penguins Return To The Stanley Cup Final With Thrilling Win Over Ottawa.
The defending Stanley Cup Champions will return to the finals after felling the Ottawa Senators in a thrilling double overtime Game Seven on Thursday Night. The top two teams in the Eastern Conference locked horns in a scoreless contest until Penguins forward Chris Kunitz drew first blood. Ottawa would quickly respond with a goal of their own just 20 seconds later from Mark Stone. From there the action would hit a fever pitch in the third as Pittsburgh took the lead again at 11:44 and once again were responded by Ottawa. It would take a double over time to decide this one as Chris Kunitz once again doned the cape and became hero for Pittsburgh with a clinching goal at 5:09 into the second over time.
Pittsburgh has faced two game sevens in the last rounds and will appreciate the rest as they prepare for their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in as many years. Healthy and once again on the cusp of a Stanley Cup Championship, the Penguins of Pittsburgh want nothing more than to add onto their legacy another big moment. They have been the bain of every other team’s existence these last two years and aim to give Nashville one mighty of a test. The Stanley Cup Finals will begin on Monday.
