Topic: Ryan Ellis

There are coaches who will tell you that a playoff series doesn't truly start until the road team wins a game.

PITTSBURGH -- Simple answers, the kind that put team ahead of self, have been staples for Sidney Crosby in his 12 NHL seasons.

The Pittsburgh Penguins scored early, often and seemingly at will Thursday night in a 6-0 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

PITTSBURGH -- It's normal for a playoff series to gain context over the first game or two or three.

PITTSBURGH -- Rookie Jake Guentzel's goal was so big that he ended two droughts with one shot, and he did it in a huge setting.

PITTSBURGH -- A little more than 24 hours before the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators launch game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, there was media day.

Heading into the third period, the Nashville Predators had yet to find a way to beat Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson after 28 shots.

Peter Chiarelli of the Edmonton Oilers, Pierre Dorion of the Ottawa Senators and David Poile of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for the 2016-17 NHL General Manager of the Year Award.

Using the same formula that led the Predators to victory in the first two rounds, they drew first blood in the Western Conference finals against the Ducks.

Having exorcized their Game 7 demons against the Oilers, the Anaheim Ducks look to exact revenge against the team that ended their postseason hopes a year ago.