The set-up: Nashville returned home down but proved it was not yet out of this year's Stanley Cup Finals, surging to a 5-1 win in Game 2. Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel's 13th goal of the playoffs (leaving him one shy of tying the single-year NHL rookie record set by Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli in 1981) gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead. However, two goals within 42 seconds of the early second period put the Predators up 2-1. A late second-period goal made it 3-1 and then the Preds added two more tallies in the third for a 5-1 final. The Predators are now 8-1 at Bridgestone Arena this postseason, while the Pens saw their road record fall to 5-5. It's Game 4 tonight and we'll either go back to Pittsburgh all tied, or the Pens will have a 3-1 lead and a near-stranglehold on the team's second consecutive Cup.

Pittsburgh: Guentzel's had a remarkable postseason for a rookie plus Evgeni Malkin owns an NHL-best 26 points in the 2017 playoffs, while captain Sidney Crosby has added 23 points. However, the above pair of former Hart Trophy winners were each held without a shot in Game 3 for the first time in their 143 playoff games together. Of greater concern was goalie's Murray's first poor game since he took over for Fleury. He allowed five goals on 33 shots (a save percentage of just .848) and those five goals came over a 15-shot span! In seven previous games this postseason (six starts), he had gone 5-1 with a 1.54 GAA and .943 SP.
Nashville: Defenseman P.K. Subban had vowed his team would win Game 3 and after the game told reporters, "You know what, best atmosphere I've ever played in," he said of the 5-1 victory. "It was pretty spectacular. Anybody who paid the price of admission to watch the game, I'm sure it was money well spent for them." Fellow defenseman Roman Josi did his talking on the ice. He scored a goal and set up two others in the second period. "Well, I think it's part of our system (which) allows us defensemen to jump up in the play," said Josi, whose six goals lead all blue-liners while his 14 points are second-best at the position (Ottawa's Erik Karlsson has 18). Then.there was beleaguered goalie Pekka Rinner, who bounced back from two poor games in Pittsburgh to save 27 of 28 shots

The pick: After scoring four goals in two games despite out-shooting the Penguins (Pittsburgh scored nine goals in its two wins), Nashville's defenseman led the charge in scoring five goals in Game 3. Rinne is now 8-1 at home in the 2017 playoffs with a 1.49 goals-against average and .949 save percentage. Nashville has now won 12 of its; last 13 playoff games at Bridgestone Arena and my bet says this series goes back to Pittsburgh tied at two-all. Make Nashville a 10* play.