This Day In Preds History: Nashville Wins First Stanley Cup Final Game

Three years ago tonight, an NHL hockey game was played in June at Bridgestone Arena for the first time - and it was quite a moment for the home team.
The Nashville Predators hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final on June 3 of that year, and by the time the night was done, the Preds had defeated the Pens by a 5-1 count.
Down 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Predators scored five unanswered - three goals in the second period, and two more in the third - to earn their first Stanley Cup Final victory in franchise history.

Roman Josi, Frederick Gaudreau, James Neal, Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm all found the back of the net, and goaltender Pekka Rinne bounced back to make 27 saves in the win as Bridgestone Arena reached ear-splitting levels. The same could be said outside the building as thousands of fans packed Broadway and the surrounding areas to cheer on their home team.
Yes, we all know how the series eventually concluded, but Nashville's triumph in Game 3 - and another in Game 4 - did so much for hockey in Middle Tennessee and beyond. As if 2016 NHL All-Star Weekend didn't quite confirm Nashville as a hockey town, hosting three games in the 2017 Final certainly finished the job.
Following the playoffs, the city of Nashville and the Predators estimated the overall economic impact from a record 11 home playoff games for the Preds exceeded $50 million, including $8 million for each game of the Stanley Cup Final.
"There's no doubt, it was a great season," Predators President and CEO Sean Henry said back in 2017. "It was a special year, and when we get a chance to raise that Western Conference banner, we'll really appreciate what a wonderful year it was. We'll get to celebrate with our fans, and most importantly, once we do that, we start our opportunity to build upon the success we had this year."

"It ended two wins short of our ultimate goal, but I have never ever been part of something as special as what we just went through," Predators General Manager David Poile said following the 2017 playoff run. "As the general manager of the team, as a citizen of Nashville, what took place on the ice and off the ice has never been seen before. In my mind, it was the most exciting Stanley Cup Final in the history of the National Hockey League, and it happened right here in Nashville, Tennessee.
"Everybody was part of this playoff run, and it just feels so good to be not only general manager of the Nashville Predators, but to be a citizen of Nashville, Tennessee."
Relive the recap and highlights from that magical night below, and don't forget, you can watch Game 3 and Game 4 of the 2017 Final in their entirety next week on FOX Sports Tennessee's Golden Classics.

The visitors struck first, but on this night, that just wasn't going to fly.
Five different goal-scorers converted for the Nashville Predators as they won their first Stanley Cup Final game in franchise history with a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Three. The result cuts Pittsburgh's series lead in half, pulling Nashville to within one game of tying the Final after a blowout win at Bridgestone Arena.
It was a complete effort from the Preds, similar to the ones they've shown in Games One and Two of the final, minus the defensive lapses that cost Nashville in Pittsburgh. After giving up the first one on Saturday, it was all Predators.
"I thought we played some really good hockey in Pittsburgh for the first two games and didn't get the bounces that we wanted," Preds defenseman
P.K. Subban
said. "We have to give them credit because they found ways to win games. For us falling back 1-0, I thought we did a good job of sticking to the plan. We were playing great from the start, and we did a really good job of battling back into this game. I thought we played a full 60 minutes today."
A raucous Nashville crowd rose to ear-splitting levels to start the game, but it was the visitors who took advantage early. Jake Guentzel scored his fourth goal of the series just 2:46 into Game Three to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
But then, the second period began. Nashville tallied on three occasions in the middle frame, first courtesy of
Roman Josi
with a strike on the power play to even the score. Just 42 seconds later, it was
Frederick Gaudreau
who wristed a shot past the glove of Matt Murray to give the Preds their first lead of the night, and before the stanza was out, it was the former Penguin,
James Neal
, who poked a puck home with 22 seconds remaining for a two-goal advantage after two periods.

Craig Smith
made it 4-1 on a breakaway when he deposited his first of the playoffs, and
Mattias Ekholm
joined in on the party with his first, a power-play goal to finish out the scoring, the 18th and 19th players to convert for the Predators in the postseason.
Goaltender
Pekka Rinne
bounced back in Game Three, stopping 27 Pittsburgh shots through 60 minutes, including a marvelous save in the second period on a rebound chance in the slot. That gave another boost to the Nashville crowd after they had already been sent into a frenzy with a 2-0 lead, and after Neal made it 3-1, it was all but sealed.
"It was the same Pekka that everyone's been talking about for a long time now," defenseman
Ryan Ellis
said. "Our belief in him never waivers in this room, and he was unbelievable. That was a huge save in the second that could have been a momentum change. Even that breakaway at the end, the game is 5-1 with a couple of minutes left and he makes another big save. He was lights out again for us."

Never a Doubt:
Subban was rather confident his club would return home for a smashing success in Game Three after falling behind 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.
He just had that feeling.
Nashville couldn't have shone brighter as they hosted their first Cup Final game in franchise history, treating themselves and their fans to a 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh, a game couldn't have gone much better for a club hosting an event never before seen in their city.
It started in warmups with thousands of fans already in the building, waving their rally towels and chanting. In warmups.
"With 15,000 people cheering us on in warm ups… the atmosphere is unbelievable," Ellis said. "Before the game during the intros, they were doing their thing and it's an incredible feeling playing in front of the fans."
From there - with the exception of an early blemish - the Preds rolled in their home barn to a lopsided victory, including the 11th different game-winning goal scorer in Gaudreau, and a pair of firsts, with Smith and Ekholm becoming the 18th and 19th Nashville goal scorers of the playoffs.

Then, there was Rinne, the backbone Head Coach Peter Laviolette and the Preds know he always will be.
"There's never been a doubt in him at all, whatsoever," Ekholm said. "Just the way he played tonight was, what a big way to come back. I don't think he's been bad at all this series, I just think we haven't helped him out a lot. Tonight, I thought we got no shots from their top guys, kept them to the outside and limit their quality chances. We know when he sees the puck and there are no tips or rebounds, he's going to save them all."
Game Three wasn't going to bring Nashville even with the Penguins - they'll need another win on Monday to do that - but it's a great start.
"[We have] a belief in each other that we can win a hockey game if we need to win a hockey game," Neal said. "I think coming home, obviously wasn't the start we were looking for with going down two games in Pittsburgh, but it's a place we feel confident in coming home. We got the job done. It's a great win for our team. We'll build off that."