Page 21 - ATD 27MAY2017

A21
SPORTS Saturday 27 May 2017
NHL royalty vs. the rowdy neighbors in Stanley Cup Final

WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The
Pittsburgh Penguins kept
getting by even as their
star players kept skating
off the ice in pain. Even as
the targets on their back
as Stanley Cup champions
kept getting bigger. Even
as Columbus and Wash-
ington and Ottawa kept
pushing and prodding,
poking and pinching.
“Just play,” coach Mike
Sullivan kept telling his
players. Over and over
and over again.
So the Penguins did. And
the team that found itself
uncharacteristically on its
heels for long stretches
as it fended off the Blue
Jackets in the first round,
shut down the Capitals in
the second and outlasted
blue-collar Senators in the
third is back where it was
a year ago: heading to
the Stanley Cup Final with
confidence, momentum
and more than a little bit of
swagger.
Next up: “Smashville.”
Pittsburgh earned a re-
turn trip to the Cup with a
thrilling 3-2 double-over-
time victory over Ottawa
in Game 7 of the Eastern Pittsburgh Penguins’ team captain Sidney Crosby (87) holds the Prince of Wales Trophy and poses with assistant captains Evgeni
Conference finals on Thurs- Malkin (71) and Chris Kunitz (14) after defeating the Ottawa Senators in Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference
day. Chris Kunitz provided finals to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Pittsburgh. The Penguins won 3-2 in double overtime.
the winner, a knuckler from Associated Press
just outside the circle that
made its way past Craig ence, the leadership and over Chicago, St. Louis and tions of them. The Preda- ing the net is invaluable
Anderson 5:09 into the the star power. The Preda- Anaheim. tors aren’t nicknamed when teamed with Malkin
second extra period and tors have defenseman “We haven’t dominated “Smashville” just for kicks. or Crosby, while Neal has
moved the Penguins a step P.K. Subban, a bunch of the play that maybe we They were the last team to given Nashville one of the
closer to becoming the first country music A-listers in wanted to,” Kunitz said. qualify for the playoffs but more lethal shots in the
team in nearly 20 years to the stands and absolutely “Maybe we’ve done a have caught fire in the last league.
repeat. nothing to lose in their first better job these last couple six weeks, sweeping Chi- Yet it was Subban’s arrival
And here’s the scary part: appearance on hock- of games. But it’s some- cago in the first round then in a trade last June that
after a season pock- ey’s biggest stage. thing we’re going to have proving it wasn’t a fluke by provided Nashville with
marked by the loss of do- Game 1 is Monday night in to get better at playing a putting away the Blues and the grit and leadership it
everything defenseman Pittsburgh. The teams split 60-minute game if we’re the Ducks. so desperately needed.
Kris Letang and significant their two meetings during going to have a chance to “It should be some excit- Subban has been spec-
absences by Evgeni Mal- the regular season, with beat Nashville.” The meet- ing hockey as far as back tacular at times during the
kin, Sidney Crosby, Kunitz, each winning on home ice, ing marks the first time in and forth and fast and playoffs and goaltender
goaltender Matt Murray with Nashville overwhelm- NHL history the coaches of physical,” Crosby said. “I Pekka Rinne is playing the
and a host of others, the ing Pittsburgh 5-1 back in both teams are Americans. think both teams like to finest hockey of his career,
Penguins are starting to November and the Pen- Nashville’s Peter Laviolette play a pretty similar style.” helping stoke the passion
look like the team that guins returning the favor first turned a team in the With a handful of familiar of a fanbase that likes to
picked apart San Jose last with a 4-2 victory in Janu- deep south into a cham- faces on both sides. One sledgehammer beat-up
June to capture the fran- ary. pion 11 years ago when of Pittsburgh general man- cars in parking lots before
chise’s fourth title. Don’t let the flimsy resume he guided the Carolina ager Jim Rutherford’s first games and throw catfish
“Our last four games in fool you. Though they tied Hurricanes to their first and moves when he was hired onto the ice during them.
this series for me, we really for the fewest points in the only Cup. Sullivan took over in 2014 was to trade for- The Penguins, by contrast,
found our game,” Sullivan 16-team playoff field (94), in Pittsburgh in Dec. 2015 ward James Neal to the have been here. They’ve
said. the Predators are danger- and provided the edge the Predators for Patric Horn- done this. Considering all
The result is a potentially ous and very much for real Penguins so desperately qvist and Nick Spaling. It’s they’ve gone through to
intriguing final between after steamrolling through needed, becoming the worked out for nearly all get back, they have every
NHL royalty and the rowdy the Western Conference sixth U.S.-born coach to win involved. intention of doing it again.
neighbors next door. The playoffs, never trailing at it all. Their teams in some Hornqvist’s relentless ener- “The biggest step is ahead,”
Penguins have the experi- any point in series wins ways have become reflec- gy and penchant for crash- Crosby said.q