Move over, Billy Ray Cyrus.

Days after the country music star created a lackadaisical anthem to commemorate the Nashville Predators' Stanley Cup Final appearance, multi-Grammy Award-winner Steven Curtis Chapman blew him out of the water from the comfort of his kitchen.

Love for the Predators is coming from all corners of Music City, and rightfully so.

Chapman has won three Grammys for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.

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Wojtek Wolski is back on the ice less than a year after a headfirst dive into the boards that left him with two broken cervical vertebrae, spinal cord trauma, and a concussion.

The former NHL winger took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce he's preparing for the new KHL season, capping off a long road to recovery that began back in October. Wolski was playing for the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk at the time of the accident and subsequent diagnosis.

Drafted 21st overall by Colorado in 2004, Wolski has spent the past four seasons in the KHL after finishing his NHL career with a brief stint in Washington in 2013.

He'd registered five goals and five assists in 19 games prior to the injury, after helping Magnitogorsk win the Gagarin Cup as KHL champions in 2016.

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has indirectly put to rest any thought that Marc-Andre Fleury would replace Matt Murray in net for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Following a Game 4 loss to the Nashville Predators, Sullivan was asked about a potential goalie change, and he quite understandably didn't come right out and back Murray, saying, "We just finished up a game about a minute and a half ago."

Related: Rinne, Murray trending in different directions as Cup Final progresses

The issue was raised again Tuesday, and while Sullivan again didn't officially name Murray as the starter, he also deflected any blame away from his netminder.

"We haven't lost games because of our goaltending," Sullivan said.

When further pressed, he gave a similar answer:

Reporter: So to follow up. There would be no reason for a change at this point?

Sullivan: Well, like anything, we make our lineup decisions on a game-by-game basis. The one comment I will make is that we didn't lose the game last night because of our goaltending.

Instead, Sullivan pointed to the need for a complete team effort at both ends of the ice in order to get back on a winning track in the championship series.

Barring injury, then, it certainly appears as though Murray will be in net Thursday, despite recording a .902 save percentage in four games against the Predators.

On the whole, Murray has posted a record of 5-3 with a .925 save percentage in nine postseason appearances this year since taking over from Fleury.

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The Nashville Predators' centers and the Pittsburgh Penguins' defensemen have a lot in common.

The Predators have been without their No. 1 center, Ryan Johansen, for the entire series. Outside of him, their depth down the middle is relatively thin.

Meanwhile, the Penguins are missing star defenseman Kris Letang for the entire playoffs, while Justin Schultz - arguably their second-best blue-liner - doesn't appear to be playing at full health.

When it comes to evaluating each team's positional units, these two injury-riddled corps stand out as the weakest groups on their respective squads:

Pittsburgh's goaltending and wingers could arguably be flip-flopped in the chart above, but both teams are strong in both areas regardless. Nashville's top-four defensemen are arguably the best in the NHL, and, well, Pittsburgh has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

While hockey is a team game and certainly comes down to much more than position groups, the fact that Nashville's depleted group of centers is outplaying Pittsburgh's weakened defensive corps is a major reason why the Predators own every fiber of momentum in this series, despite it being even at two games apiece.

Here's how Nashville's unheralded centers have performed in this series so far:

Though it's unfair to compare Nashville's centers to Pittsburgh's defense from an offensive perspective, the Penguins have received no goals and just seven combined assists from their six defensemen through the first four games.

But more importantly, Pittsburgh's defensemen, who head coach Mike Sullivan called "a simple bunch," have had trouble moving the puck out of their own end, thanks to Nashville's heavy forecheck.

This is proving to be a major problem for the Penguins. Their inability to get out of their own zone is a big reason why the trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Phil Kessel has just three goals and four assists through four games.

Nashville's centers versus Pittsburgh's defense is the matchup nobody talked about leading up to the series, but it's proving to be as crucial as any.

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Mike Smith is among the NHL's most underrated goalies, and despite him playing on a club that finished tied for third-last in the league this season, rumors continue to swirl around the netminder's future.

Coyotes general manager John Chayka set the record straight Monday, affirming the value of his man between the pipes.

"If it's being viewed as me making Mike available and starting a bidding war, that's not the case," Chayka said, according to Craig Morgan of ArizonaSports.com. "We're taking calls on players every year. I don't think anyone is untradeable, but like we talked about last year with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, he's up as high on that list as anyone."

Related: Is Mike Smith a fit for the Flames' crease?

While Ekman-Larsson isn't leaving anytime soon, Smith is someone Chayka may be willing to part with due to his age (35) and injury history (he's started in 65 games or more only once in his 12-season career). With that being said, he posted solid numbers, including a 2.92 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage, while playing behind a Coyotes squad that allowed the third-most goals per game last year at 3.15.

Regardless, the GM recognizes Smith's value, and won't let him go unless the price is right.

"There's a value to our team that Mike has, being an All-Star and our rock," said Chayka. "His value is extremely high but if someone wants to pay an even higher value for him, that's the industry."

As Morgan pointed out, Arizona's options in goal after Smith are shaky at best, with Louis Domingue and third-round pick Adin Hill being the immediate alternatives.

In 26 NHL starts last season, Domingue recorded 11 wins, a 3.08 GAA, and a .908 save percentage. Adin, meanwhile, posted a 3.16 GAA while going 16-14 for the AHL's Tuscon Roadrunners.

Those numbers suggest Smith will be back in the Coyotes' crease next season.

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Auston Matthews scored 40 goals and led the Maple Leafs to the playoffs in his rookie season, so he has every reason to be proud of himself. He took the meaning of pride in a slightly different direction Monday by getting a massive tattoo on his arm depicting a lion wearing a crown.

Los Angeles Kings mascot Bailey, however, doesn't wear a crown when supporting the Kings at the Staples Center.

It's also possible Matthews' favorite childhood movie was "The Lion King," even though it came out three years before he was born.

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Corey Hirsch is a former NHL goaltender who spent parts of seven seasons with the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, and Dallas Stars.

I think we can all agree on one thing: the city of Nashville has raised the bar in terms of entertainment during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I can’t be the only one who is a bit bummed to see the final headed back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 (and possibly Game 7). Sorry, Pittsburgh, you’re a great city, but not even Mario singing the national anthem can save you.

When it comes to setting the standard for entertainment at a championship game, the Super Bowl has long been considered the pinnacle. But beware, NFL - the NHL is coming for you.

Um ... did the needle on the record player just break and the music stop?

With the atmosphere the city of Nashville and its country music stars have created, each playoff game has been like a Super Bowl. The only thing missing is the late and legendary Prince playing his electric guitar in the rain.

The NHL PR machine caught a huge wave on this one, the perfect storm happening right in front of our very eyes. The process has been long, but it’s all coming together in what has been one of the most memorable finals in the history of the NHL - and maybe in all of sport, for that matter.

Three moments in Predators history brought us to this point.

Seven years ago, Mike Fisher married Carrie Underwood, a budding country music star out of "American Idol." In 2011, he's traded from Ottawa to Nashville so he can be closer to his wife. The bigger star Underwood became, the more hockey's popularity surged in Nashville.

Last summer, David Poile makes one of the boldest moves in NHL history when he trades arguably his best player, Shea Weber, for the most flamboyant, outgoing player in the NHL in P.K. Subban.

Subban's exciting playing style and interview candor immediately brought more attention to the Predators, who are no longer the NHL’s small-market runt. Like him or not, Subban is a media darling - and that sells the game.

Cue Charles Barkley, one of the biggest sports celebrities in the world. He states - in front of millions on live TV - that the 2017 NBA playoffs have been a disaster, and that the NHL playoffs have been way more exciting. It’s an enormous free plug for the NHL, exposing it to a huge new audience of viewers.

Barkley then gets a personal invite from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to join the party, flying to Nashville on an off day and going on NBC to help promote the game.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Truth be told, I was planning to use this article to make my picks for the Conn Smythe Trophy , given annually to the best player in the playoffs. And here they are:

Nashville - Pekka Rinne
Pittsburgh - Sidney Crosby

However, the best player in this year's playoffs hasn’t been an actual player. So, I’m giving my Conn Smythe vote to the city of Nashville.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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