Do or die. Win or go home. Leave it all on the line.
Pick your cliche, because they all apply to the Nashville Predators in advance of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Bridgestone Arena will no doubt be rocking Sunday, partly due to excitement and partly due to the nausea-inducing anxiety that comes when a team is facing elimination in a championship series.
In order to push the series to a decisive Game 7 back in Pittsburgh, the Predators will need to provide the right answers to the following questions:
Will Ryan Ellis play?
After being forced out of Game 5 with an unspecified injury, Ellis' availiability for Game 6 is up in the air, and that could spell big trouble for Nashville.
"He's obviously a huge part of our defense," Ellis' defense partner Roman Josi said Saturday, per Robby Stanley of NHL.com. "He's been unbelievable all season. He's been great in the playoffs.
"His hockey sense is really good. He makes the right plays, he always makes the right decision and he's a great leader on our team."
While Ellis averages the fewest minutes among Nashville's formidable defensive foursome - which also includes Josi, P.K. Subban, and Mattias Ekholm - he ranks second to Josi in goals (five) and points (13). He's also played a huge role in keeping the opposition at bay with solid play in his own zone.
Ellis didn't skate Saturday, and Matt Irwin is expected to see an uptick in minutes if Ellis can't go. That drop off may be too big to overcome.
Which Pekka Rinne will show up?
It's been a tale of two Rinne's so far during the Cup Final.
In Pittsburgh, he's been, in a word, bad. But on home ice, he's given his team a fighting chance, and he'll need to post similar numbers in order to push the series to seven games.
Here's a look at Rinne's roller coaster ride over the past five games.
| Game | Venue | Result | Shots Against | Saves | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PIT | L 3-5 | 11 | 7 | .636 |
| 2 | PIT | L 1-4 | 25 | 21 | .849 |
| 3 | NSH | W 5-1 | 28 | 27 | .964 |
| 4 | NSH | W 4-1 | 24 | 23 | .958 |
| 5 | PIT | L 0-6 | 9 | 6 | .667 |
At this point, Nashville's best hope is to hold serve at home and hope Rinne can pretend Game 7 is being played at Bridgestone. Recent history suggests the former is entirely possible, if not probable.
Can Filip Forsberg beat Matt Murray?
Game 6 would be the perfect time for Forsberg to break out.
After having shared the regular-season team lead in goals with Viktor Arvidsson (31), Forsberg leads Nasvhille once again with nine in the postseason. Only one of those, however, has come against the Penguins, and that was into an empty net to boot.
So far, Forsberg has fired 13 shots on Murray, with nothing to show for it.
This is where the loss of center Ryan Johansen is being felt, and hopefully someone, anyone, can get Forsberg the puck with some regularity on Sunday.
Arvidsson, by the way, has one goal on seven shots against Murray, and he too would do well to find the back of the net before it's too late.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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