The Nashville Predators lost their first Stanley Cup Final game 3-5 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 29, 2017, after leading 3-2 midway through the third period at PPG Paints Arena.
Expansion Franchise Reaches Summit
The Predators entered the league in 1998 as one of four expansion teams and posted a 28-47-7 record in their debut season. Nine years later they finished the 2016-17 regular season at 41-29-12, good for second in the Central Division. They advanced through the playoffs by defeating Chicago in seven games, St. Louis in six and Anaheim in six before facing Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh entered as the defending champion with a 50-21-11 record and home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series. The Penguins had won the 2016 Final in six games against San Jose.
The May 29 Game 1 scoreline showed Nashville scoring three times before Pittsburgh responded with five, including the game-winner by rookie Jake Guentzel with 3:17 remaining.
Series Turns Decisive on Road
Nashville won Game 3 at home 5-4 in double overtime on June 3 to cut the deficit to 2-1, then lost Game 4 1-5 on June 5. Pittsburgh closed the series with a 2-0 shutout victory in Game 6 on June 11 at Bridgestone Arena.
The final series tally read 4-2 for Pittsburgh, marking the Penguins’ second consecutive championship and the first back-to-back titles since Detroit in 1997-98.
Sidney Crosby earned Conn Smythe Trophy honors as playoff MVP for the second straight year.
Atmosphere Fuels Historic Milestone
Despite playing Game 1 on the road, Nashville fans created an electric atmosphere inside Bridgestone Arena through watch parties and events featuring Music City Rodeo participants. The franchise’s first Final appearance validated years of steady improvement under general manager David Poile.
The 2017 run produced 11 playoff wins, the most in team history at that point, and set attendance and television records for the market.
Nine seasons after expansion, the Predators had joined an elite group of modern teams reaching the Cup Final.
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Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.