The End of the NHL Season is Finally Here

This year’s NHL Stanley Cup Finals featured a matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators. 2017 was Nashville’s first year in the Stanley Cup Finals, after 19 years of existing in the NHL. On Sunday, June 11, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Predators in Game 6 to take home the second Stanley Cup trophy in two years.

Patric Hornqvist, funny enough, was shipped from Nashville to Pittsburgh just three years ago, and ended up scoring the final goal for the Penguins. The score was tied 0-0 up until the 1:30 mark in the third period, until Hornqvist recovered a bobbled puck and put it behind Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne to secure victory.

Predators fans have good reason to be upset with the outcome, as a goal by Colton Sissons was called off by referees. Fans of the Nashville Predators have made many jokes towards referees all over social media. Referees didn’t even budge after Nashville had challenged goalie interference on that final score by Hornqvist, which was not granted. Nashville just may have won if not for terrible refereeing.

According to The Hockey News, the second-straight Stanley Cup Finals win by the Pittsburgh Penguins is the first instance of an NHL team winning it all two years in a row in nearly 20 years. The last team to secure at least two Stanley Cup Finals in consecutive years were the Detroit Red Wings.

Colton Sissons had a number of opportunities to score, all shot down by Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray. Murray had consecutively stopped 56 shots on goal from scoring, although high final score disparities could have allowed for a few more shots without any change in outcome.

As expected, golden boy Sidney Crosby was named MVP of this year’s NHL playoffs, taking home the Conn Smythe trophy. The Pittsburgh Penguins seek to win three straight Stanley Cup Finals is the upcoming season.