The Nashville Predators are down 2-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final, but their confidence has not been shaken yet. Following the Penguins’ 4-1 win in Game 2 on Wednesday, star defenseman P.K. Subban said there would be a different result in Game 3.
P.K. Subban says Predators will beat Penguins in Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final
It appears we got a victory guarantee on our hands.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Does this qualify as guaranteeing a win? I think it might.
“We’re going to win the next game, and we’ll see what happens from there,” doesn’t sound like a man resigned to defeat. Not even close.
There’s a bit of history to NHL players guaranteeing big wins in big games. The most well-known example came from Mark Messier in 1994. The New York Rangers star guaranteed a Game 6 win over the Devils in the Eastern Conference Final, then went out and scored a hat trick (and later eliminated New Jersey in Game 7).
Last year, Penguins star Evgeni Malkin did the same, guaranteeing a Pittsburgh victory prior to Game 6 against the Lightning. The Pens ended up winning that game, then the deciding Game 7, to reach the Stanley Cup Final. You know what happened from there.
On the flip side, there’s Alex Ovechkin (of course), who guaranteed a Capitals’ win before Game 7 against the Rangers in the 2015 conference semifinals. “We’re going to come back and win the series,” Ovechkin said after the game. “We’re going to play our game, and we’re going to come back and we’re going to play Montreal or Tampa.”
Washington ended up losing that game, 2-1, despite Ovechkin scoring the team’s only goal.
Which way will Subban’s guarantee go? It’s hard to say, but given that the Predators have dominated possession so far and head home to Bridgestone Arena for Game 3, don’t put a victory past them. There may be catfish on hand, after all.
And if this series does go to 2-1, as Subban said, we’ll just have to see what happens from there.
See More:
