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SPORTS Wednesday 7 June 2017
Preds even Stanley Cup Final at 2-2, beat Penguins 4-1

TERESA M. WALKER team, came home and after that.
AP Sports Writer took care of the home Rinne kept it tied in the early
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — games with the help of all minutes of the second with
Frederick Gaudreau sure our great fans,” Rinne said. a stop of Guentzel before
is doing his best to earn his “It’s a great feeling. We a big save on Chris Kunitz
own locker with the Nash- played two really good on a breakaway. And
ville Predators with a Stan- games.” then came Gaudreau’s
ley Cup Final debut for the Pittsburgh star Sidney Cros- goal, confirmed only after
ages. by scored his first goal in the horn sounded and of-
For now, he insists he is hap- the series after not getting ficials reviewed the play.
py enough just to sit on the a shot on goal in Game They ruled Gaudreau’s
floor as long as he plays. 3. The goal was his first wraparound attempt slid
An undrafted free agent in the Stanley Cup Final the puck just over the line
playing in just his sixth since June 4, 2009, a span before Murray stopped it,
postseason game, Gaud- of 12 games, but it wasn’t giving Nashville a 2-1 lead
reau scored the go-ahead enough as the Penguins 3:45 into the second.
goal 3:45 into the sec- lost two straight for the sec- “I heard it on the bench
ond period and Pekka ond time this postseason. that it was possibly in the
Rinne made 23 often-spec- Goalie Matt Murray lost net,” Gaudreau said. “I
tacular saves as the Preda- consecutive games for the wasn’t certain. When I
tors beat the Penguins 4-1 first time in his young ca- heard the horn, I sort of
on Monday night to even reer. thought it was in.”
the series at 2-2. “It’s hard to win when you Crosby had another Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35), of Finland, stops a
It’s now a best-of-three score one goal,” Pittsburgh breakaway nearly mid- shot by Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel (59) during
sprint to the Stanley Cup, coach Mike Sullivan said. way through the period, the second period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup
and Nashville is riding a “I thought tonight of all and Rinne stopped him not Finals Monday, June 5, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn.
wave of momentum after nights, we generated the once, but twice. q Associated Press
outscoring the defend- most chances of the high-
ing champions 9-2 in the est quality.”
Games 3 and 4 of their Fi- Nashville tapped country
nal debut. singer Dierks Bentley as the
Gaudreau, a 24-year-old latest star to sing the na-
rookie, only has a chair in tional anthem, while Jason
the locker room, but he Aldean waved the towel
now is the second player to rev up the crowd. For-
in NHL history to score his mer NBA star and TV com-
first three career goals in mentator Charles Barkley
a Stanley Cup Final, join- also was on hand , ac-
ing Johnny Harms with the cepting NHL Commissioner
1944 Blackhawks. Gary Bettman’s invitation
“He’s been unbelievable to watch in person. Carrie
for us the way he’s come Underwood admitted dur-
in, and he’s just been so ing the first intermission that
good, timely goals and she didn’t get Fisher, her
composed,” Nashville husband, a birthday pres-
captain Mike Fisher said. ent on Monday — holding
“He definitely belongs, and out hope that a Stanley
he’s been a huge part of Cup championship cele-
our success.” bration would do the trick
Gaudreau is also just the in coming days.
third rookie to score game- “That’s all I wanted for my
winning goals in consecu- birthday,” Fisher said after-
tive games in the Stanley ward of the big win.
Cup Final since the NHL Craig Smith ricocheted
took over sole possession a puck off Murray’s pads
of the trophy in 1926-27. that Jarnkrok tapped in at
Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel 14:51 to start the fans yell-
did it in the first two games ing louder. Pittsburgh lost a
of this series and Roy Co- challenge for goalie inter-
nacher did it for Boston in ference.
Games 3, 4 and 5 against Just 66 seconds later, Cros-
Toronto in 1939. by tied it up for Pittsburgh
Calle Jarnkrok, Viktor Ar- on a dazzling breakaway.
vidsson and Filip Forsberg He skated in on Rinne,
also scored for Nashville, holding the puck, faking a
which improved to 9-1 at slap shot and then slipping
home and roared back one past the goalie for his
after dropping the first two eighth goal and 24th point
games of the series on the of the playoffs. He also
road. moved into 20th all-time in
“We were in a tough hole NHL playoff points but the
against a really good Predators clamped down