Stanley Cup Final

Penguins survive shortage of shots

Pittsburgh centers Jake Guentzel (left) and Matt Cullen react after Guentzel’s goal in the third period gave the Penguins the lead for good in their 5-3 victory over Nashville in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.
Pittsburgh centers Jake Guentzel (left) and Matt Cullen react after Guentzel’s goal in the third period gave the Penguins the lead for good in their 5-3 victory over Nashville in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins rarely tested the hottest goaltender in the playoffs in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against Nashville.

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AP/GENE J. PUSKAR

Pittsburgh center Nick Bonino (right) embraces defenseman Trevor Daley after the Penguins grabbed a 1-0 series lead over Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final on Monday. Bonino had two goals in the game, including the clinching empty-netter with 1:02 left to play in the third period.

They beat Pekka Rinne anyway.

Rookie Jake Guentzel fired the puck past Rinne with 3:17 left in regulation to put the Penguins ahead to stay in a 5-3 victory on Monday night.

Nick Bonino scored twice for the Penguins. Conor Sheary scored his first of the playoffs, and Evgeni Malkin scored his eighth. The Penguins won despite putting just 12 shots on goal. Matt Murray finished with 23 saves for the Penguins, who used the first coach's challenge in Final history to wipe out an early Nashville goal and held on despite going 37 minutes at one point without a shot.

"I think at the end of the day we're up 1-0," Bonino said. "We had a good first, we had a terrible second and we were terrible in the third. I don't think it's X's and O's. We've got to work harder, compete a little harder, but we got some timely goals."

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

Ryan Ellis, Colton Sissons and Frederick Gaudreau scored for the Predators. Rinne stopped just seven shots.

The Penguins, who led the league in scoring, stressed before Game 1 that the best way to keep the Predators at bay was by taking the puck and spending copious amounts of time around Rinne. It didn't happen, mostly because Nashville's forecheck pinned the Penguins in their own end. Clearing attempts were knocked down or outright swiped, tilting the ice heavily in front of Murray.

Yet Pittsburgh managed to build a 3-0 lead anyway thanks to a fortunate bounce and some quick thinking by Penguins video coordinator Andy Saucier. Part of his job title is to alert Coach Mike Sullivan when to challenge a call. The moment came 12:47 into the first when P.K. Subban sent a slap shot by Murray that appeared to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

Sullivan used his coach's challenge, arguing Nashville forward Filip Forsberg was offside. A lengthy review indicated Forsberg's right skate was in the air as he brought the puck into a zone, disallowing the goal.

"The impact of that moment and then the chain of events that happened after that with the penalty kills I think changed the course of the game," Nashville Coach Peter Laviolette said.

The decision gave the Penguins all the wiggle room they needed to take charge. Malkin scored on a 5-on-3 15:32 into the first, Sheary made it 2-0 just 65 seconds later, and when Bonino's innocent centering pass smacked off Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm's left knee and by Rinne just 17 seconds before the end of the period, Pittsburgh was in full command.

It looked like a repeat of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Ottawa, when the Penguins poured in four goals in the first period of a 7-0 rout.

Nashville, unlike the Senators, didn't bail. Instead, they rallied and took over the game.

Ellis scored the first goal by a Predator in a Stanley Cup Final 8:21 into the second, and Nashville kept Rinne downright bored at the other end. Pittsburgh didn't manage a shot on net in the second period, the first time it's happened in a playoff game in franchise history -- and the first such period by any team in a Final game since the NHL began tracking shots on goal in 1958.

Nashville kept coming. Sissons beat Murray 10:06 into the third, and Gaudreau tied it after a fruitless Pittsburgh power play.

Guentzel slipped one by Rinne with 3:17 to go in regulation, and Bonino added an empty-netter to give Pittsburgh early control of the series.

"We didn't do a great job of [shooting], but we made them count," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "But it was a good finish there to get that one from Jake."

At a glance

Best-of-7 MONDAY’S GAME

Pittsburgh 5, Nashville 3

Penguins lead series 1-0

WEDNESDAY’S GAME — All times Central

Nashville at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Sports on 05/30/2017

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