NHL Playoffs 2017: Latest Stanley Cup Scores and Predictions

The Ottawa Senators bounced back from two tough losses in Games 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and registered a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night in Game 6.

The victory squared the series at 3-3, and Game 7 will be played Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at 8 p.m. ET. It will be televised by NBCSN.

The winner of that matchup will meet the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Final.

Head coach Guy Boucher's Senators were coming off a 7-0 drubbing in Game 5, and it appeared that the Penguins had figured out how to break Ottawa's 1-3-1 defense that had performed so well throughout the majority of the playoffs.

The Penguins took the game to the Senators in the first half of the game, and the only reason the Sens were able to compete was the outstanding play of goaltender Craig Anderson. 

Evgeni Malkin scored Pittsburgh's only goal of the game in the second period, and that held up until Bobby Ryan tied the game later in the second.

Ryan's goal came on the power play, and it broke Ottawa' 0-of-29 slump with the man advantage. That goal resulted in an eruption from the home crowd, and the hope that the Sens would find a way to extend their season by scoring the go-ahead goal.

Mike Hoffman gave the Sens a 2-1 advantage when he blasted a slap shot by goalie Matt Murray early in the third period, and the Ottawa defense held up the rest of the way to send the series to a decisive game.

Anderson had a huge bounce-back game. After giving up 10 goals in Games 4 and 5, he was dominant with 44 saves in Game 6. He was at his best through the first 30 minutes of the game as Pittsburgh dominated possession and held possession of the puck in the Ottawa zone. Anderson did an outstanding job of anticipating the attack, and he frustrated the Pittsburgh shooters.

The survivor of Thursday night's seventh game will meet a red-hot Predators team that has put together a 12-4 postseason record in beating the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. The Eastern Conference champions will have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, and the series will get underway May 29.

The Preds swept the Blackhawks, while they beat the Blues and Ducks in six games.

Nashville scored its decisive victory over the Ducks Monday night, and they got a hat trick from Colton Sissons.

The hard-working forward is usually more of a role player, but he came through with a spectacular performance to eliminate the Ducks.

"Unbelievable," said Predators defenseman Roman Josi, per Robby Stanley of NHL.com. "I mean you get a hat trick in a Game 6 like this? That's pretty cool. I think he's been great for us all playoffs. A lot of huge goals. It's him, it's other guys too. [Pontus Aberg and Frederick Gaudreau] come in and play great, so you need that depth to be successful and they've done a great job."

Head coach Peter Laviolette's team appeared to be in trouble when center Ryan Johansen went out after Game 4 with compartment syndrome, an injury that required surgery and knocked him out for the remainder of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Preds won Game 5 in Anaheim before coming home and earning the 6-3 victory in Game 6.

Pekka Rinne has been the architect behind the three series victories, and he has gotten a great deal of support from Nashville's active and high-scoring defense.

Prediction

The Senators were able to turn things around on their home ice and come away with a tight victory that squared the series.

Ottawa has been playing gutsy and opportunistic hockey throughout the postseason, and the belief here is that they will not be intimidated about playing Game 7 on the road.

The Sens will attempt to win with tight defense and hope that defenseman Erik Karlsson can trigger a few scoring opportunities that his teammates can take full advantage of and score a couple of key goals.

However, the Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champions and they know how to stay calm when the pressure is on.

The combination of Sidney Crosby and Malkin will come through, and the Penguins will do just a bit more and win Game 7. The Penguins will move on to the Stanley Cup Final and have a chance to hoist the chalice for the second straight season.