Penguins can cap journey to Cup with Game 6 win in Nashville

The path Sidney Crosby has walked to get within a win of a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship has been long, winding, rocky and rough.

He had to face the stampeding forecheck of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the neutral-zone clog of the Ottawa Senators. He had to go into a hostile, red-rocking environment in Washington and pull off another Game 7 victory over the Capitals.

He has faced all measures of physical abuse and agitation, from the serious — when Washington's Matt Niskanen gave him a concussion with a cross-check to the head — to the ridiculous — when Ottawa's Mike Hoffman sprayed a water bottle down his back.

Despite all that, Crosby is staring at a daunting reality heading into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night.

Facing a talented and desperate team in a loud and inhospitable building, winning this game to bring home the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup championship just might be the stiffest challenge Crosby has faced.

“We've found ways, especially this year, all year long,” Crosby said after practice Saturday in Cranberry. “We've got to go into Nashville and find a way again.”

The first hurdle standing in the way of the Penguins is, of course, the team they're facing.

In addition to having the most accomplished defense corps the Penguins have faced this season, the Predators have held a puck-possession advantage for most of the series. Add in the fact they are facing elimination, ramping up their desperation level that much more, and the Predators are a formidable foe to say the least.

The Penguins haven't fared well in these situations this postseason. They failed in their first attempts at eliminating Columbus, Washington and Ottawa.

“We have to bring our best game,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “The elimination game is always the most difficult to get. First and foremost, we have to understand the challenge. I believe our players do.

“I really believe, in these types of games when the emotions are high and the stakes are high, it's about focus. It's about attention to detail. It's about effort, and it's about execution, controlling what you can out there. That's where our whole focus is.”

The venue will ramp up the difficulty of the challenge for the Penguins.

Home teams have won all five games in the series by a combined score of 25-4. It will take an extraordinary effort from the Penguins to buck that trend.

“It's normal this time of year for teams to be pretty strong at home,” Crosby said. “You've got to really dig deep if you want to get a win on the road. If you want to win, you've got to find ways to win on the road. That's what we've got to do.”

Goalie Matt Murray, meanwhile, has contemplated all the reasons the Penguins will face a tough test Sunday night.

Yes, the desperate Predators probably will be flying toward his net like they never have before, but he's not worried about that.

“Maybe they throw a little bit more traffic to the net, but it's not something I think about,” Murray said. “You just react to the game as it comes to you. You don't think about what's going to happen, because then something else could happen.”

Yes, the Bridgestone Arena will be as raucous as any road building he's ever played in, but the rink still will measure 200 feet by 85 feet.

“At the end of the day, it's still hockey,” Murray said. “Inside the glass, it's the same game. Nothing really changes.”

Yes, the Penguins will face a difficult challenge when they try to close out the Predators on Sunday night, but no, it won't be markedly different than the other 15 challenges they've already overcome this postseason.

“It's always hard, man,” Murray said. “It's always hard. This will be no different, I'm sure.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.