Predators vs. Penguins: Breaking Down Difference-Makers from 2017 NHL Final

The Stanley Cup Final was a competitive series, but in the end, the better, more experienced squad came away with the title.

The Pittsburgh Penguins won in six games over the Nashville Predators, becoming the first team since 1998 to win back-to-back championships. It took an outstanding effort from everyone on the roster, although a few key players in the series made a difference.

Here are the reasons why Pittsburgh was able to raise the cup Sunday night.

Sidney Crosby

Evgeni Malkin finished with the most points in the playoffs with 28, but Sidney Crosby was right behind him with 27 and was a real star throughout the postseason.

The captain finished with seven points during the final round to go with a plus-five rating. He didn't finish a single game in the series in the negative.

He simply makes an impact every time he is on the ice and is a leader the rest of the team can look up to when a big play is needed. This is what helped him bring home his second straight Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the postseason.

John Buccigross of ESPN also noted just how impressive Crosby was this season:

The 29-year-old has a chance to rack up even more awards and trophies before his career is done, but three Stanley Cup titles is already an impressive run for the talented player.

Jake Guentzel

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Most of the Penguins stars did what they were supposed to in the postseason. Crosby, Malkin and Phil Kessel helped carry the offense, continuing their contributions from the regular season and the rest of their careers.

However, the surprise star of the playoffs was Jake Guentzel. The rookie played just 40 games this season, ranking seventh on the team with 16 goals.

He transformed into a key player in the postseason, leading the entire league with 13 goals. (Malkin was the next closest with 10.) The NHL noted just how rare this performance was:

The 22-year-old always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time and took advantage of every opportunity he could find. With four goals in the final, it's not a stretch to say the Penguins wouldn't be celebrating Sunday night if not for Guentzel.

Penguins Defense

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Matt Murray deserves a lot of credit for the Penguins' success down the stretch, posting a 1.70 goals against average in 11 games. He had three shutouts in the postseason, including in each of the final two games.

Despite still being just a rookie, he now has led his team to two Stanley Cup titles.

However, he couldn't have done it without some great work from a defense that was seemingly patched together.

Kris Letang was out for the playoffs with a neck injury, leaving the team without an anchor on the back line. Injuries to Trevor Daley and Justin Schultz during the playoffs also created problems. The team was left with veteran Ron Hainsey and little else to carry the Penguins against some of the best offenses in the NHL.

Somehow, this unit got it done.

"When Letang went down, there was a lot of worry around here," general manager Jim Rutherford said Sunday night, per Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. "And I said 'don't worry. This is going to be fine. This is going to be OK. This group can do it."

Between the solid play from the unheralded defense and the young goalie, the Predators didn't have much of a chance.

Pekka Rinne

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After shutouts in the first two games of the postseason, Pekka Rinne was a leader for the Predators' miracle run through the Stanley Cup playoffs. His performance over the past month will go down in Nashville history after helping the organization reach its first final.

Unfortunately, it was the inconsistency that eventually did him in.

Rinne allowed only one goal in each of the three home games this series. The first two were wins to get the Preds back in the series, while the last was a narrow loss in Game 6 that could have gone either way.

Still, the performances on the road didn't give his side much of a chance. He allowed a combined eight goals in the first two games in Pittsburgh, putting Nashville in a major hole to begin the series. In the all-important Game 5, three first-period goals led to his removal from what became a 6-0 loss.

In the three road games, the 34-year-old veteran had just a .756 save percentage, well below the .918 mark he posted during the regular season.

He needed to be at his best to help the Predators, but he was at his worst on the road.