Predators vs. Penguins 2017: Sidney Crosby win away from more Stanley Cup glory after Game 5 rout

At multiple points during these playoffs, you’d excuse Sidney Crosby for not rising to the occasion.

For better or worse, Crosby returned from a concussion to help his team vanquish the Washington Capitals and survive the Ottawa Senators. The Penguins captain was a force to be reckoned with all postseason, but he saved his truly special game for the biggest stage.

After two straight losses and two off days to stew on it, Crosby shot out of the gates in Game 5 like a bull trapped in a phone booth for three weeks. His first rush up the ice resulted in a near-amazing goal and a power play for the Penguins, who scored and never relinquished control of Game 5. By the end, Crosby had three points, two mini-controversies under his belt, and the Stanley Cup within his reach for the third time.

Everything you love and everything you might hate about Crosby was on display in Game 5. But so was his greatness, which might’ve just tipped the balance of this taut series in Pittsburgh’s direction for good.

You can never count out these Predators, especially at home. But Pittsburgh’s Game 5 win was a demolishing, and the architect with the “C” on his chest looks fired up to end this.

Penguins 6, Predators 0 (PIT leads, 3-2)

UFC is alive and well in the hockey world

Boy, that got chippy.

Like we touched on before, few games this Cup Final have gotten as tense as Game 5. Few games this playoffs, really. The game featured just the right combination of frustration and lingering animosities. P.K. Subban has tried to get under Crosby’s skin all series, and maybe that had something to do with the Penguins captain responding to a “UFC move” (his words) by using Subban’s head as a Whack-A-Mole hammer.

At the worst possible time. Pekka Rinne’s regression roller coaster continued in Game 5, resulting in backup rookie Juuse Saros finishing out most of the rout.

Which of course begs the question: What now?

Smashville is ready

Predators fans didn’t have a Cup Final to host on Friday, so they sold out Bridgestone Arena to watch Game 5 on the jumbotron.

The Bottle Heard ‘Round The World

Crosby. Is there any question? Sure, Evgeni Malkin still leads the playoffs in points. But Crosby absolutely turned it on in the Cup Final, as we pointed out. Plus, he’s in some pretty heady company now.