As The Puck Glides; the NHL Cup Game 2 Review

It's just so not fun to write about politics and current events when the Stanley Cup Games are going on.

And how can anyone not like hockey? It's just like golf, if golf were played on ice fields and instead of a round ball you had a puck and instead of a club you had a stick.

Game 2 on Wednesday night closed with a Penguins win over the Predators of 4 to 1.

Let's look at winner and score predictions for Game 2:

Game 2, Stanley Cup - Penguins v Predators at Pittsburgh:

Fansided  predicts:  Preds 3; Pens 1

Odds at Vegas Insider: Pittsburgh 4, Nashville 3

And sports bet guru Oddsshark aligns with Vegas' prediction of Penguins 4, Predators 3.

The Pens do not want to head into Nashville for Game 3 with the series tied 1-1.

My Game 2 Prediction:  Pens 5, Preds 4 in one OT

But it was Pens 4, Preds 1 and the Pens leading in this series 2 game to zero for Nashville.

Wednesday night had the Pens returning - almost all the way - to the Cup-winning team that we've seen in the past. They did sink into their "complacent mode" for a while after being 2 points ahead. Then the Pens woke up, re-energized and dominated the rest of the game.

The Pens played well, but they still face some hurdles. SB Nation:

Pittsburgh was outshot, 38-27.

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The Predators were the better team in the second period just like in Game 1, this time holding a 14-7 advantage in shots on goal.

Nashville looked tired and overwhelmed in game 2. "First time Cup Jitters"? I can't place it or define it.

Games 3 and 4 play at Nashville. Maybe home ice and hometown fans will energize the Preds and bring them back to playing as the team they had been playing in earlier rounds of the playoffs.

Nashville Predators v Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens know the territory, they're four time Cup Winners - most recently last year - and they want to repeat, which hasn't been done since 1997-1998 by the Detroit Red Wings.

If the Pens can be consistent and play like they played Wednesday night, wow - I'm thinking the Pens could win four in a row.

Nashville needs to re-transform and play the way they played against the Ducks, Cup winners in the 2006-2007 season.

Don't forget, in the first round series, Nashville eliminated 3-time Stanley Cup winner the Chicago Blackhawks in a 4 game sweep.

So it's certainly not like the Preds lack experience in beating other Cup winners.

Image via pinterest.com

Okay - on to Game 3 Predictions:

Fansided, at least at this publishing time, had not made a Game 3 prediction.

Odds at Vegas Insider for Game 3 are Nashville 6, Pittsburgh 5.

Oddsshark concurs with Vegas of a 6 -5 win by Nashville.

I'm not sure, but it might be that Oddsshark makes their prediction using Vegas Insider, since Odd has had the same score predictions as Vegas Insider.

IF Hockey Karma infuses the Preds at home for the next two games, I still see this series going seven games. If not, this could be a four game sweep by the Pens. In previous brackets, the Pens bounced back every time the pressure was on them, and the pressure was intense.

Game 3 is Saturday, I don't really like making a prediction this early, so I'm going to leave open the option to update and change my prediction by Saturday.

But for now, my Game 3 prediction is:  Pens 5 , Preds  4

I maintain that the less than stellar play of the Preds in games one and two is psychological; they're not playing in the moment. They need to treat each game from this point on as "just one game we have to win." "Just one period, then the next, and then next; then...another game." They need to stop "projecting" ahead. If they can do this, they will be a very formidable opponent to the Pens.

Disclaimer: The above is purely guesswork on my part and is not in any way to be taken as advice on sports betting or engaging in gambling or wagering; legal, illegal or other.