Stanley Cup Final 2017: Predators vs. Penguins, Game 1 Result, Updated Schedule

It was one of the strangest Stanley Cup Final openers in memory, and while the Pittsburgh Penguins came away with a 5-3 victory, their performance against the Nashville Predators was anything but stellar.

The Penguins have a 1-0 series lead as a result of their victory at PPG Paints Arena, but Pittsburgh did not come close to playing its best game.

Pittsburgh was outplayed in the first 12 minutes of the first period, and it would have trailed 1-0 if a P.K. Subban goal had not been overruled as a result of a coach's challenge by Pittsburgh's Mike Sullivan. 

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette thought that play changed the game. "The impact of that moment and then the chain of events that happened after that with the penalty kills I think changed the course of the game," Laviolette said, per the Associated Press (h/t CBS Sports).

Stanley Cup Final Schedule, Pittsburgh leads 1-0

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)

In the final five minutes of the first period, the Penguins scored three quick goals and that allowed them to take charge of the game.

The first came on a blast by Evgeni Malkin with a two-man advantage. The second came on a wicked shot from Conor Sheary after taking a pass from Chris Kunitz, and the third came in the final seconds on a shot that banked off Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis and past Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.

The Penguins were outshot 11-8 but they had a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes. 

If the Predators slightly had the better of play in the opening period, they dominated in the second and third periods.

Ryan Ellis got the Preds on the board with a power-play goal in the second period, and they tied the score in the third after goals from Colton Sissons and Frederick Gaudreau.

Even more impressive than the comeback was the territorial edge the Preds imposed on their hosts. They did not allow a shot on goal in the middle period and the first 16-plus minutes of the third period.

The score was tied, but the Preds had all the momentum, and it seemed they would get the decisive goal in the closing minutes of the third period or overtime,

But with slightly more than three mintues to play, Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel swept in on Rinne after taking a pass from Matt Cullen and wristed the puck into the net. Nick Bonino closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal for the Pens.

Guentzel said the victory was a reflection of the team's desire to get ahead in the series. "We were resilient," Guentzel said, per Wes Crosby of NHL.com. "They took it to us but we found a way to win, and that's what we do right now. Huge character win."

The Predators outshot the Penguins 26-12 on their home ice, and they held Pittsburgh without a shot for 37 minutes from the end of the first period until the late stages of the third.

Yet, the defending Stanley Cup champions won the opening game of the series and the Preds are left scratching their heads.

The Predators would like to play the same way but with a different outcome. They will have their opportunity in Game 2 Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.