Penguins Take Game 1, But Frédérick Gaudreau's First Career Goal Is The Better Story

Jake Guentzel’s goal with three minutes left handed Pittsburgh a Game 1 win tonight in the Stanley Cup Final, and that goal wiped out what had been a hard-fought Nashville comeback after the Predators found themselves down 3-0 at the end of the first period. (The Penguins added an empty-netter to make the final tally 5-3.) Since nobody but miserable Yinzers really cares about seeing Pittsburgh claim its fifth Stanley Cup, let’s talk about the guy who tied things up for Nashville, even if that score held for less than three minutes.

Frédérick Gaudreau would be that guy. He came into tonight’s game with fewer than a dozen career NHL appearances, and zero goals. When he fired the shot you see above past Matt Murray—courtesy a marvelous play by Austin Watson—it was his first career NHL goal, and it tied up a game in the Stanley Cup Final. That’s pretty neat! It was a moment that the Québécois announcers on TVA got pretty excited about, and so that’s what we’re writing about here... instead of Pittsburgh winning.

Which they did, 5-3, on a sleep-inducing (for Pekka Rinne, at least, perhaps) 12 shots on goal.

[TVA]