Ahead of Game 5, the Pittsburgh Penguins center told reporters that linemate Phil Kessel would score Thursday after the 29-year-old had gone six straight games without a tally.
Asked what he expected from Kessel tonight, Malkin responded, "He'll score. It's his time to score." Geno is always right -MC
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) June 9, 2017
As fate would have it, the Penguins sniper did just that, snapping his eighth of the postseason past Juuse Saros midway through the second period to give the Penguins a 5-0 lead.
Justin Schultz got things started by wiring a shot from the point just a minute and a half in, snapping the Penguins' 0-for-15 streak on the power play.
Just five minutes later, Bryan Rust took advantage of a great Chris Kunitz pass and wired a backhand over the catching glove of Pekka Rinne.
Finally, Evgeni Malkin delivered the final dagger with just 11 seconds remaining in the period, as he rifled a one-timer past Rinne's catcher once again.
The three goals also spelled the end of the night for Rinne, who was replaced with Juuse Saros to start the second.
It was a stark contrast for Rinne, who allowed just two goals over the past two games on home ice, turning aside 50 shots in the process.
The change by coach Peter Laviolette did little to calm the Penguins' offensive attack Thursday, as Conor Sheary put Pittsburgh ahead 4-0 on the team's first shot of the second period.
Saros also came into Game 2 in relief of Rinne after the starter allowed four goals on 25 shots. Saros played the final 16:32, stopping both shots that were directed toward the Predators' net.
Vlasic has one year remaining on his current five-year, $21.25-million contract and will make $4.25 million next season. He has become the team's dependable shutdown defender, while his play in recent years has also earned him spots on Team Canada's 2014 Olympic Roster and World Cup of Hockey squad where he captured gold with each.
Meanwhile, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Wednesday that the Sharks remain in talks with goaltender Martin Jones on an extension which could come as early as July.
Jones has one year remaining on his current three-year, $9-million deal.
It's looking to be a busy next few weeks for the Sharks.
Game 5 of the final is set for Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Here's what you need to know ahead of another probably very entertaining Penguins-Predators tilt:
Matt Murray's starting in goal for the Penguins - obviously. That Marc-Andre Fleury had any chance of getting the nod was always fake news.
Pens center Nick Bonino remains a game-time decision, though he didn't skate Thursday morning and didn't practice Wednesday. (Let's be real: he's not playing.)
For Nashville, P.A. Parenteau won't be in the lineup, he revealed, but he's taking the decision like a true pro. The veteran said he enjoyed his time in the lineup, but he's ready to root on his teammates now. The good news: If Nashville wins the series, he'll get his name on the Cup.
While there's been no confirmation, because keeping secrets is imperative this time of year, all signs point to Colin Wilson returning from injury in Parenteau's spot, writes The Tennessean's Adam Vingan.
Wilson skated on a line with Frederick Gaudreau and Harry Zolnierczyk in practice over the last two days. Parenteau played with those two in Games 3 and 4.
Teams that win Game 5 in a best-of-seven Cup Final tied 2-2 have raised Stanley 17 out of 24 times.
Nashville is the 13th team to erase a 2-0 Cup Final series deficit. Only four of 12 took Stanley home.
Teams that lost Game 5 in a 2-2 Cup Final have won the Cup four out of the last eight times. (Or lost four out of the last eight times, depending on your perspective in life.)
For Nashville to win the Cup, it must win one game in Pittsburgh. You'd think No. 5 would be a little less pressure-packed than No. 7.
The Ellis who competes in NASCAR's Camping World Truck and Sprint Cup Series had a perfect response about the Ellis currently competing in the Stanley Cup Final.
Unfortunately, the hockey-playing Ellis doesn't appear to be on Twitter, but the racing Ryan posted a picture of the two of them in May, and they originally met in December.
"I grew up playing hockey just as long as I've been racing, so to meet someone who I've watched in world juniors and all that, to see him out there playing, it was really cool to meet the guy who I keep getting angry tweets about," the NASCAR Ellis said with a laugh at the time.
He may not be the Ryan Ellis that hockey fans are looking for, but at least his Twitter game is on point.
He may coach at Alabama, but when it comes to hockey, Nick Saban's allegiances lie in the state of Tennessee.
The legendary Crimson Tide frontman, who attended Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final clad in a Nashville Predators jersey, admits he's fully swept up by the team's improbable run to the championship round.
It isn't shocking that the hard-nosed coach enjoys watching a team known as "Smashville," although it's certainly jarring for Crimson Tide fans to see their coach supporting a team from Tennessee.
Saban is no stranger to hockey, growing up about 90 miles south of Pittsburgh in Fairmont, W.Va. The fact he's rooting for the Predators when the Penguins are the opposition has caused a little tension with his friends back home.
Naheed Nenshi wants Brian Burke to stop riling people up.
"Don't try to make headlines," Calgary's mayor told the Calgary Sun's Rick Bell when asked if he had any advice for the Flames president of hockey operations Thursday. "Don't try to inflame people.”
Nenshi was critical of several comments the Flames' president of hockey operations made at a public speaking engagement Wednesday, including Burke's soft threat of relocation if the hockey club doesn't get a new facility and the executive's comparison of the Flames' plight to the Edmonton Oilers' arena situation.
The mayor says he saw right through what he believes Burke was trying to do.
"Seriously, it's the script," Nenshi said. "We've seen this movie before. The point is we need a different ending here in Calgary.”
The Oilers moved into their new arena, Rogers Place, last fall, and that building was constructed with more public money than Nenshi wants used on any future Flames facility.
"I want it to end in something that doesn't look like Edmonton, that is a deal where any public money is very clear and it absolutely leads to public benefit," the mayor said.
He added, "(The Oilers) had a very different situation. They had a derelict part of their city. They hadn't had a skyscraper built in the downtown in who knows how long. They needed to try and really revitalize their downtown. We are a completely different environment. To ask for that deal in a completely different environment isn't going to fly with taxpayers. It can't just be, 'Give us the deal the guys up the road got.'"
Flames president and CEO Ken King was quick to engage in damage control Wednesday, addressing Burke's comments with a brief statement insisting Burke "is not our spokesperson regarding a new events center for our city."
Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome is the oldest arena in the NHL that hasn't undergone extensive renovations, having opened in 1983.
David Poile has been general manager of the Nashville Predators since their inception in 1998. His ability to adapt to the changing NHL landscape and style of game has allowed him to keep the Predators competitive and make the playoffs in 10 of the past 13 seasons.
While he embraced the growing involvement of analytics in the game, it's Poile's mastery of an age-old trade style which has brought his team to within two wins of its first Stanley Cup.
Here's a look back at Poile's five biggest moves of acquiring NHL-ready talent:
5. Neal for Hornqvist and Spaling
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The most lateral of Poile's five moves in recent years, it's tough to announce either team a winner of the James Neal/Patric Hornqvist swap. Nick Spaling played just one season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 27 points in a full 82 games. He split the following year between the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks, and spent this season in the Swiss-A League.
Here's how Neal and Hornqvist have fared in the three seasons with their current teams since being traded ahead of the 2014-15 season:
Neal
Hornqvist
GP
219
216
G
77
68
A
59
78
P
136
146
SOG
692
700
The clear difference has been in Hornqvist's number of assists, as he has predominantly played alongside center Evgeni Malkin with Pittsburgh. Hornqvist blocks more shots and hits more than Neal, even though the latter has been used much more heavily by the Predators in terms of average time on ice.
This trade likely hasn't changed the course of history for either team, though Neal has cost an extra $750,000 per season. Both players are signed through the end of next year.
4. Johansen for Jones
Imagine the Predators' defense corps with Seth Jones still part of the team?
This was an excellent trade of excess talent for a much-needed piece on the part of Poile. With the team already possessing stars Shea Weber and Roman Josi and up-and-comers Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis on defense, they flipped their No. 5 defenseman for the elite No. 1 center they lacked since entering the league.
Tighter Western Conference play and the Predators' more defensive style kept Ryan Johansen from reaching his career-best mark of 71 points in 82 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014-15. He finished with 61 points in 82 games in his first full season with the Predators.
The Predators have found a way to remain competitive without Johansen for this Stanley Cup Final, but he left the postseason with 13 points through 14 games. He'll be a restricted free agent at season's end and will be due a significant raise from the $4 million he earned this season.
With the Predators projected to have roughly $17 million in cap space this offseason, Poile should be able to further demonstrate his brilliance and lock Johansen up with a long-term contract.
3. Forsberg for Erat and Latta
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
In a win-now move by the Washington Capitals, they added forward Martin Erat in the middle of the 2012-13 season on the heels of a 58-point campaign, giving up 2012's 11th overall draft pick. Erat flamed out in his one-and-half years with the Capitals and has been out of the NHL since the end of the 2014-15 season.
Filip Forsberg played just five NHL games toward the end of the 2012-13 season and 13 the following year. He has since played 82 games in each of the past three seasons, putting up 185 points in 246 games. Forsberg twice led the team in points and finished third this year. He leads the team with nine goals and 16 points in 20 playoff games.
Forsberg is signed through the 2021-22 season at an average cap hit of $6 million, and hasn't reached his offensive peak.
2. Subban for Weber
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
A trade deemed a wash for potential 2016-17 impact was viewed as a long-term play by Poile in order to obtain a younger, cheaper player. While this holds true, P.K. Subban has had a much larger effect than originally expected.
It's rare to see an NHL team trade a current captain, especially one as tenured and dear to fans as Weber. Subban has brought a much more prominent personality to a Predators franchise that's never had a true spokesperson.
Subban fell short of his Norris Trophy-winning performance in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, but he injected star power into a Predators' roster often called boring by outsiders.
1. Fisher for 1st- and 3rd-round draft picks
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
It was another ho-hum 42-point season by Mike Fisher in 2016-17, but a strong rebound from his 23 points in 70 games in 2015-16. His playoff performance has been lackluster, failing to score and contributing just four assists in 18 games. As a player, Fisher has been merely average for the Predators.
Fisher's true value has come via his hand in turning Bridgestone Arena into what opposing players and the media have called the toughest place to play during the playoffs. The Predators have lost just one home game, in overtime, during their playoff run. Fisher and wife Carrie Underwood have turned Predators games into the thing to do in Music City. Ticket prices are astronomical and game-day traditions have been travelling with the team.
With Fisher and Underwood combining with Poile to turn the team into a perennial contender for years to come, Nashville is set to remain a hockey hot bed.
It's the second team-friendly contract he's negotiated in less than a month after convincing Tanner Pearson to put pen to paper on a four-year, $15-million pact on May 9.
Pearson has improved from a production standpoint in every one of his four NHL seasons, and he ranked second in goals (24) and third in points (44) on an offensively-starved Kings club this season. Oh yeah, and he's only 24 years old.
Toffoli took a step back in 2016-17, posting his lowest goal and point totals since his first full season, but the 25-year-old missed 19 games with an injury and is a year removed from a 31-goal, 58-point campaign.
Both players would have been eligible for restricted free agency July 1, so getting the Kings' two most promising young forwards signed at affordable rates was clearly a top priority for Blake.
That he was able to do it quietly and efficiently after being promoted to the GM position on April 10 shows just how much he absorbed in his four years as Dean Lombardi's assistant GM.
Blake has been busy in his early days as Lombardi's successor, getting a fourth-round pick from the Dallas Stars for goaltender Ben Bishop's negotiating rights on the same day the Pearson extension was announced.
Getting something for Bishop, who clearly wasn't in the Kings' plans and who was a pending unrestricted free agent himself, was yet another successful maneuver by Blake.
The GM's first task upon being elevated to his new role was replacing Darryl Sutter, the Kings former head coach who was fired along with Lombardi.
Blake wasted little time promoting John Stevens, Sutter's longtime assistant and associate coach, to the top job, and while it remains to be seen whether that move pays off, there's no doubting Stevens' experience or his familiarity with the players he'll now lead.
As for Blake, he still has some work to do - namely ridding the team of some unsavory contracts and finding more offense to kick-start a stalled but gifted possession team - but so far, so good.
