Penguins vs. Predators Live Stream, TV Schedule, Odds and Pre-Game 4 Comments

The Nashville Predators rode the wave of a huge emotional surge that accompanied their first home Stanley Cup Final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night.

That helped them play an effective 60 minutes that resulted in a 5-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was a huge win for the Predators, and this series now stands at a competitive 2-1 in Pittsburgh's favor.

The Predators will attempt to even the series Monday night when they host the Penguins in Game 4 at Bridgestone Arena. The 8 p.m. ET start will be televised by NBC and live-streamed by NBCSports.com.

Another runaway victory by the Predators seems unlikely because the Penguins are a veteran team that has been through the playoff wars during the Sidney Crosby era. The Pittsburgh captain is playing in the fourth Stanley Cup Final of his career, and he is competing for his third Stanley Cup championship.

One of the keys for Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and their teammates is showing improvement on the power play. The Penguins have failed to score on their last 12 power-play opportunities, and that needs to changes quickly.

The issues are most likely based on the Predators doing an excellent job while short-handed and the Pens having problems with their power-play setup.

Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

"We've been doing a good job of getting our clears down the ice when we've had a chance," said Nashville forward Colton Sissons, per Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "That's huge. It takes 10 or 15 seconds off the clock every time, and we've given them some troubles just getting into our zone. Their breakouts, with possession, have given them some trouble."

The Penguins spent part of their Sunday practice working on their power play, and while head coach Mike Sullivan said that his team did not do anything new during the session, there was an emphasis on shooting the puck when the opportunity was there. 

"I think [Crosby and Malkin] had opportunities to shoot that they passed up [trying to make a better play]," Sullivan said, per Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I think what we try to do with them is just try to get them to think in terms of having that shot-first mindset. I think when they do that, everything else will open up for them."

In addition to the Big 2 of Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins need more from winger Phil Kessel, who has failed to score in his last five postseason games.

Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet said that Kessel needs to recognize the scoring opportunities he has and take them, rather than pass the puck and look to make the picture-perfect pass.

"A guy with that caliber of shot, very rarely he should be looking to pass," Tocchet said, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "He's an unselfish guy, but he's got to be selfish in these moments. If he gets those three chances again, I think he's got to come off the wall and really rip 'em."

The words of Sullivan and Tocchet indicate that the Penguins need to follow the advice that is regularly shouted from the fans in the stands: "Shoot the puck."

The oddsmakers believe the Predators will find a way to even the series up in Game 4. Nashville is a minus-154 favorite to win the game, according to OddsShark, meaning that a Nashville backer would have to risk $154 to win $100. The Penguins are plus-139 underdogs.

Prediction

The Predators want to get off to a strong start and have the Penguins chase the game and play catch-up hockey.

We see the game unfolding that way, and the Penguins keeping it close and not letting the Preds increase their advantage as they did Saturday night. Look for Nashville to find a way to square the series before the two teams go back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 Thursday night.

The raucous Nashville fans will welcome their team with full throat once again, but it will be the Preds' execution that provides the difference Monday night.