Pittsburgh wins second straight Stanley Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins became the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in nearly two decades with a 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 6 Sunday night. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby won his second consecutive Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs. “You have a small window to play and to have a career, and I feel fortunate, but I also understand how difficult it is, so you just want to try to make the best of it,” said Crosby. Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray, the first goaltender in NHL history to win the clinching game for the Stanley Cup in each of his first two seasons, shut out the Predators on their home ice, making 27 saves. But Nashville did get the puck into the net early in the second period, but it was disallowed. Referee Kevin Pollock blew the whistle when he lost sight of the puck, which was sitting behind Murray with lots of space in the crease for Colton Sissons to tap it into the net. “I know he lost sight, and we all make mistakes,” Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne said. “It was tough for sure.” The loss ended the Predators’ deepest playoff run in the team’s 19-year history. The Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998 were the last team to win consecutive Cups, but the Penguins are the first to do it in the salary-cap era.

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