Stanley Cup 2017: Five burning questions for Penguins-Predators Final
The 2017 Stanley Cup Final begins Monday, and there's no better time than now to break down the biggest story lines. The Nashville Predators are seeking their first title, while the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to win back-to-back Cups.
Here are some burning questions as we try to fill the dead time before it all begins.
Will Sidney Crosby add to his hardware haul?
Crosby has won two Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, the World Cup, a world championship and a world junior championship. He’s also earned two Art Ross trophies (most regular-season points), two Hart trophies (regular season MVP), a Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) and a World Cup MVP. There isn’t much left to check off on his ledger, except helping the Penguins to the NHL's first back-to-back Stanley Cups since 1998. It’s hard to believe he’s still only 29.
How will the Predators cope with lack of center depth?
Let’s get this out of the way: with Ryan Johansen hurt, the Predators don’t have a center capable of matching up with the Penguins’ top two. It’s one thing to be able to handle Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler for a few games, but it’s another thing to corral the best player in hockey, Sidney Crosby, and another top-five center in Evgeni Malkin. Crosby and Malkin have size, but they rely on skill more than the Ducks' top two. Whether it’s Colton Sissons, Frederick Gaudreau, Calle Jarnkrok, Vernon Fiddler or Mike Fisher, Nashville will need a group effort to slow them down. That’s an attribute that has been integral to their playoff DNA thus far.
MORE NHL:
Stanley Cup 2017: Predators vs. Penguins Final schedule, TV times, info
How the Predators got to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history
Can Pekka Rinne really lead this charge?
The 34-year-old has enjoyed a bit of a bounce-back this season, and he’s taken his game to another level in the playoffs in posting a .941 save percentage. But Rinne is trending the wrong way in the playoffs: .968 SV% in Round 1, .958 SV% in Round 2 and .925 SV% in the conference final. He has also never played in a Stanley Cup Final, while his opponent, Matt Murray, has the experience from last year's title. The Predators need Rinne more than ever.
Will we finally see a nearly-healthy Penguins team?
By this time in the season every team is beat up, but the Penguins have been especially so during this playoff run. They’ve missed key pieces — Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby, Carl Hagelin, Justin Schultz, Patric Hornqvist to name a few — throughout. But they’re getting as dangerously close to full strength as they can be: Letang won’t be back, but Schultz and Hagelin returned in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final and Hornqvist seems close. That can’t be good news for the Predators.
Who is the next to play hero?
The Penguins have eight different players with game-winning goals, and none of them are Crosby or Malkin. The Predators have received game-winners from 10 different players, and none from leading scorer Filip Forsberg. Perhaps the next hero will be one of the coaches — Nashville's Peter Laviolette or Pittsburgh's Mike Sullivan — both of whom have been masterful in the playoffs.
PHOTOS: Best of the Stanley Cup playoffs
