Stanley Cup Final 2017: Dates, Times and TV Info for Predators vs. Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have built quite a legacy throughout their history. They won two Stanley Cups during the Mario Lemieux era to put the franchise on the map, and they have won two more during the Sidney Crosby era.

If they can win the Stanley Cup again as they face off against the Nashville Predators, their fifth such triumph will put them in elite company.

The Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups and the Toronto Maple Leafs have 13 to their credit, with those teams leading the way in the NHL. The Detroit Red Wings have won 11, while the Edmonton Oilers earned five titles in a seven-year span. The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks have each won six Stanley Cups, and the Penguins are in a group with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders who have won four Cups.

A fifth cup will allow them to pass the Original Six Rangers, who have been playing hockey since 1926-27, compared to the Penguins, who came into the league in 1967-68.

Stanley Cup Final Schedule

Game 1, Nashville at Pittsburgh, May 29, 8 p.m., NBC

Game 2, Nashville at Pittsburgh, May 31, 8 p.m., NBCSN

Game 3, Pittsburgh at Nashville, June 3, 8 p.m., NBCSN

Game 4, Pittsburgh at Nashville, June 5, 8 p.m., NBC

Game 5, Nashville at Pittsburgh, June 8, 8 p.m., NBC (if necessary)

Game 6, Pittsburgh at Nashville, June 11, 8 p.m., NBC (if necessary)

Game 7, Nashville at Pittsburgh, June 14, 8 p.m., NBC (if necessary)

James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

While the Penguins are trying to move up a rung on the Stanley Cup ladder, the Predators are trying to get their foot on the first step.

Head coach Peter Laviolette's team is preparing for its first trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Preds have a huge task in front of them, as they must find a way to overcome Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and red-hot goalie Matt Murray.

Nashville was the eighth-seeded team in the Western Conference, and it had the least amount of points of any of the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs. The Predators have a powerful defense, led by Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm, that has scored 39 points in 16 postseason games.

Nashville's ability to get production from its blue-line crew may be their biggest reason for hope against the defending Stanley Cup champions. But Ellis knows the first priority on the ice has to be fulfilling defensive responsibilities.

"For me, growing up, you see Sid coming into the League, Malkin and Kessel, when you are 15, 16, 17," Ellis said, per Sean P. Roarke of NHL.com. "You are kind of a fan of all of it and now a chance to play against guys like that, it's exciting." 

Those three players are all capable of filling up the net in the Stanley Cup Final. Goaltender Pekka Rinne is going to have to be at his best to keep the Penguins from getting their hands back on the Stanley Cup.

Rinne is a leading Conn Smythe Trophy candidate at this point, as he has a 12-4 record along with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

He has been able to backstop the Preds to series-opening road wins in each of their three playoff contests (against the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks) and wants to do the same thing against the Penguins at 8 p.m. ET Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.

"I like having a chance to start on the road, being away with the team, staying with the guys at the hotel," Rinne said, per Roarke. "It kind of gets you focused in the right place. You think about the game, and there is not so much noise around you.

"It's a good thing for us, and it has been working, but obviously [it's a] a new series, new game, and we have to treat it as the biggest game of our careers."

One of Rinne's biggest assets is his ability to handle the puck and help the Predators break out of their defensive zone. Pittsburgh assistant coach Jacques Martin says one of the keys is not allowing him to make break-out passes, per Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"We have to be prepared to put the puck in space, keep the puck away from him. Obviously, we're a team that likes to attack with puck control; that's one of our biggest assets.

"Sometimes, when you're forced to move the puck before the blue line because you're challenged by the opposition, it's really important to put the puck in space, where you can regain possession with your support [from a teammate] or even yourself."

That's part of the game within the game, and the Penguins' ability to carry the puck into the offensive zone or dump it in a place where Rinne can't reach it will be key in the outcome of the series.

It begins Monday night in Pittsburgh, and it should be compelling hockey.