Sunday, June 11 is a day most Nashville Predators fans would rather forget, and I don't blame them.
The Predators had gone on their deepest playoff run in franchise history, sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks and taking down the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks to advance to the Stanley Cup Final where they'd take on the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins, who had won the cup in the season prior, were looking for another cup under the reigns of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Pittsburgh took a commanding two-game lead against Nashville to open the series. When the finals arrived at Bridgestone Arena, however, things quickly changed. The Predators took the next two games while only allowing one goal in both. In their trip back to Steel City, they lost 6-0. Now hanging on by a thread, they had to recuperate back in their barn to force a game seven.
It was the second period of game six, and things were ramping up. Filip Forsberg grabbed ahold of the puck and stormed into the Penguins' zone. He made a shot, and it bounced off the pad of goalie Matt Murray, giving Colton Sissons the perfect opportunity to strike.
Then it happened.
Referee Kevin Pollock blew the whistle in an arguable fashion. Murray did not have control of the puck, and it was still in the play. Pollock blew the whistle almost immediately after it hit Murray. Sissons' goal was called off because Pollock "lost sight of the puck." Even though he later apologized to him, the goal could've quite possibly been a turning moment in Predators history.
In the game, Pittsburgh scored two goals, one of which was an empty netter. Could've this one goal saved the game? It would've given Nashville a lot of motivation, and of course, the lead. Had this game gone to overtime, would the team have won it?
If they did, would they win game seven? This series at times looked disastrous for the Predators, while at other times it leaned in their favor. It's a series of what ifs, but one decision could've ultimately been the deciding factor in whether the Nashville Predators would've won their first Stanley Cup.
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