Mystique vs. mayhem in unlikely Stanley Cup Final
Mystique vs. mayhem in unlikely Stanley Cup Final
PITTSBURGH — The dynasty that once appeared so certain is again in the offing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Four victories against the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Final would make Pittsburgh the first franchise to win back-to-back championships in nearly 20 years and the first in the parity-driven salary-cap era.
Yet for all the resilience the Penguins have shown during their injury-marred title defense, they are taking nothing for granted heading into Game 1 on Monday night.
Not their home-ice advantage.
Not their massive edge in Stanley Cup Final experience (156 games against just five for the Predators, all by captain Mike Fisher while playing for Ottawa a decade ago).
Not their ability under head coach Mike Sullivan to thrive under the pressure that once seemed to crush them.
[...] not against the swaggering and well-rested Predators.
The Predators have hardly played like one while beating Chicago in a lopsided four-game sweep, then outrunning St. Louis and outlasting Anaheim to reach the Cup Finals for the first time.
“I know we were the eighth seed but we didn’t feel like a group that we were,” Fisher said.
[...] the player from the place that calls itself “Smashville” have a chance to become the first franchise to win the Cup in its first try since Carolina did 11 years ago.
“This year, we were kind of mediocre in the standings and maybe that’s what we needed just to come into the playoffs, not really caring about home ice or who we were playing but just knowing comfortably and confidently as a team we could be in this position,” Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said.
Will Graves is an Associated Press writer.
Stanley Cup Finals