NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Frederick Gaudreau sure is doing his best to earn his own locker with the Predators with a Stanley Cup Final debut for the ages.
And with Pekka Rinne turning in his best performance in this series, the Predators are going back to Pittsburgh having tied up the defending champs at 2-2, turning this into a best-of-three sprint to the Stanley Cup.
Gaudreau, an undrafted free agent playing just his sixth postseason game, scored the go-ahead goal 3:45 into the second period, and Rinne made 23 often-spectacular saves as the Predators beat the Penguins 4-1 on Monday night.
The 24-year-old rookie only has a chair in the Predators’ locker room, but he now is the second player in NHL history to score his first three career goals in a Stanley Cup Final, joining Johnny Harms with the 1944 Blackhawks.
“He’s been unbelievable for us the way he’s come in, and he’s just been so good, timely goals and composed,” Nashville captain Mike Fisher said. “He definitely belongs, and he’s been a huge part of our success.”
Calle Jarnkrok, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg also scored for Nashville, which improved to 9-1 at home.
Sidney Crosby scored his first goal in the series after not getting a shot on goal in Game 3. The goal was his first in the Stanley Cup Final since June 4, 2009 — a span of 12 games. The goal came after he was held without a shot for only the fifth time in his career in the playoffs.
The Penguins now have lost two straight for the second time this postseason. They also lost Games 5 and 6 against the Capitals. Goalie Matt Murray lost consecutive games for the first time in his young career.
“We were in a tough hole against a really good team, came home and took care of the home games with the help of all our great fans,” Rinne said. “It’s a great feeling. We played two really good games.”
Game 5 is Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
After the anthem, two catfish and one stuffed penguin hit the ice despite Nashville coach Peter Laviolette’s video plea earlier Monday asking fans not to throw anything.
Nashville tapped country singer Dierks Bentley as the latest star to sing the national anthem, while Jason Aldean waved the towel to rev up the crowd. Former NBA star and TV commentator Charles Barkley also was on hand, accepting NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s invitation to watch in person. Carrie Underwood admitted during the first intermission that she didn’t get Fisher, her husband, a birthday present on Monday — holding out hope that a Stanley Cup championship celebration would do the trick in coming days.
“That’s all I wanted for my birthday,” Fisher said afterward of the big win.