There will be no sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, the Pens may very well have their hands full with the Nashville Predators. The return to Smashville was exactly what the Preds needed. After allowing an early Pittsburgh goal, the home team came on and dominated the Pens. If they can win Game Four on Monday night they could very well win this series. I’ve often said that Game Four of a series is the most important one when it’s a 2-1 series. That is definitely the case in this series. If the Pens win, and they have a great history in Game Fours including winning last year in San Jose, they can return home to win the Cup in Pittsburgh next Thursday. Lose, and it’s a best two of three. I have tickets for Game Five in The Burgh. I’m hoping the Pens can find a way to win in Nashville so they’ll have a chance to win their first Stanley Cup in the city of Pittsburgh. But first they have to win Game Four in Nashville. It will take a Herculean effort to do so.
- The Pens aren’t going to win this series unless they get their power play going. It’s been horrendous thus far. The Penguins were 0 for 3 in Game Three with just one shot on goal. Pittsburgh’s only power play goal in the series came on a 5 on 3, which looked terrible until Evgeni Malkin found the net. The Penguins are 0 for their last 12 on the power play. They need to quit trying to make the perfect pass and put the puck on the net. In other words, shoot the puck!
- The Penguins have the better roster in this series. They have the stars in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Those guys better start producing if Pittsburgh is going to win back to back Stanley Cups. It’s hard to believe that both Crosby and Malkin didn’t have a shot on goal in Game Three. They’re better than that. So too is Kessel, who was great in last year’s playoffs but has been a disappointment in these playoffs. It’s time for Pittsburgh’s Big Three to get going, or else this series could very well end with Nashville lifting its first ever Stanley Cup.
- The officiating during these playoffs has been horrendous. The NHL can spin it any way they want, but anyone who watches hockey has to be frustrated by what they’ve seen. Obvious penalties are completely ignored. More concerning to me are some of the dangerousand cheap hits that don’t draw a penalty. In Game Two alone, Matt Cullen was hit from behind which should have drawn a possible five minute major boarding penalty. Nothing was called. Cullen could have been seriously hurt, but fortunately wasn’t. Later, Jake Guentzel was punched in the face right in front of the officials. Again, nothing was called. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was evasive when asked about the officiating prior to the series. He actually said that officials would call penalties. So far they haven’t, which is a crying shame. Because sooner or later, someone is going to get seriously hurt.
- Jake Guentzel has gone from a mere rookie to possible Stanley Cup hero. This kid plays like a veteran and has shown incredible poise all year long. He’s also made a name for himself in these playoffs with his scoring touch and ability to score big goals at just the right time. The Pens were on the ropes when Guentzel scored the game winner late in Game One. It was one of the biggest goals in team history. His two goals in Game Two were also big. He picked up where he left off with an early goal in Game Three too. And to think that many people thought that Guentzel might be scratched for the Stanley Cup Finals. Good thing he wasn’t, because the kid is money.
- I hate it when media outlets starting talking about planning a victory parade and series MVP when the playoffs are still going on. I remember being on the field before Game 5 of the 1979 World Series and watching someone go up to Baltimore Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey when the team was up 3-1 in the series and handing him a sticker that said “Baltimore Orioles World Series Champions.” Dempsey told the media member that they hadn’t won anything yet. The Orioles ended up losing the series. This past week, hosts on The Fan in Pittsburgh were already asking callers who will win the Conn Smythe trophy when the Pens win the Stanley Cup. I happen to think it was quite premature to ask that question. What if the Pens end up losing the Cup Finals? Wonder what questions the talk show hosts will ask then?
- Nice weekend series for the Pirates. They took two out of three from the Mets in the Big Apple, while putting up 12 runs on Friday and 11 on Sunday. Trevor Williams had his best outing on the mound to date. He’s really coming on, which is a really good sign for the Pirates’ rotation. You have to like what you saw out of the Pirates this past weekend.
- Since moving to the six hole, Andrew McCutchen has started to hit. Cutch had three more hits and another homer in the Sunday finale. McCutchen is starting to hit to all fields, which is a really good sign. He’s most dangerous when he hits the ball to right field, and he’s been doing a lot of that lately. Cutch is still hitting in the low 200’s, but he’s getting hot. And that is good news for the Pirates.
- ESPN’s respected baseball insider Buster Olney is reporting that the Houston Astros may very well make a big offer to the Pirates for pitcher Gerrit Cole. The Buccos’ righty has struggled lately and has been surrendering a lot of homers. Still, he’s regarded as one of the better pitchers in baseball. Plus, he’s signed through 2019, which means if he’s dealt the team that gets him will have him for two and a half more seasons. There’s no way the Pirates can sign Cole when he becomes a free agent, and they know it. So, if the Astros, or perhaps the Yankees, another team said to be interested in Cole makes a big offer, I think the Pirates have to seriously consider it.
- The Golden State Warriors look unbeatable through two games of the NBA Finals. They are an offensive machine and have schooled the Cleveland Cavaliers so far in the series. Lebron James is the best player on the planet, but it will take a lot more than Lebron for Cleveland to come back and upset the Warriors like they did last year, when they rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the title. I’ll be surprised if this series goes more than five games. And to think, had they not blown it last year, the Warriors could be thinking Threepeat.
