Penguins vs. Predators Game 3 Live Stream, TV Schedule and Latest Comments

The Nashville Predators have carried much of the play in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, but they have fallen into a deep hole after losing both contests against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Preds outshot the Penguins in each match at the PPG Paints Arena, but the home team was able to take advantage of its scoring opportunities.

The Pens had a three-goal burst in the first period of Game 1 that allowed them to take control, and they hit Nashville with another three-goal run early in the third period of Game 2.

Pittsburgh victimized Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne with eight goals on 36 shots, and his .778 save percentage is a huge factor working against his team in the Stanley Cup Final.

It was quite a turnaround from the first three rounds of the playoffs because Rinne was the architect of series victories over the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. He had a 1.70 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage prior to the Stanley Cup Final.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

After Rinne gave up the three third-period goals in Game 2, head coach Peter Laviolette pulled his starter and replaced him with rookie goalie Juuse Saros.

Laviolette has not announced who will start Game 3 on Saturday. That contest will get underway at 8 p.m. ET. It will be televised by NBCSN and will also be live-streamed on NBCSports.com.

Rinne said he is going about his preparations in his normal fashion. "The last two games haven't gone the way I wanted them to go, and I know the stakes are high, it's [the Final] and everything, but I'm still feeling confident," Rinne said, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "I feel comfortable out there and do the same preparations as I always do before the games."

The 34-year-old also said he was not going to make any revelations about whether he would start in Game 3: "I'm going to keep it a secret."

Saros said he has not been told who will start on Saturday, but it seems likely that Laviolette will stick with Rinne. The only action Saros has seen in the postseason was his relief appearance in Game 2. It would put a ton of pressure on the rookie if he were to start in Game 3.

After the Game 2 loss, Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said the Predators would be victorious when they returned home. Subban did not back down from that statement when he met with the media a day later.

The veteran Penguins did not appear to be overly worked up about Subban's "guarantee," as Sidney Crosby low-keyed his team's reaction, per Tim Campbell of NHL.com:

"Nobody's really talked about it, to be honest with you. I think we know that this time of year, there's no shortage of motivation. Going into this situation, we expect their best game and we expect a desperate team. It's not something we've discussed. At this point, you're motivated enough. We know that we've got to be ready tomorrow."

The Penguins are an experienced postseason team and have been in three Stanley Cup Finals and won two during the Crosby era. The Pittsburgh captain remembers the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, in which the Pens trailed 2-0 before winning the third game of that series.

"Yeah, [I remember it]," Crosby said, per Campbell. "Your desperation level is really high, and you're thinking of one game. We know that Game 3 is an important game, and that's all that's on their mind right now, so we have to make sure our desperation level is there, and we have our best game."

Nashville should be that desperate team Saturday night, while Pittsburgh is the experienced team that has been through many postseason scenarios.

Those two factors may cancel each other out in Game 3. It will come down to overall execution and taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

The team that performs best in both areas will likely come out with the win in Game 3.