No one among the Penguins wants to cross paths with Philip Pritchard at an inappropriate hour Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.

As keeper of hockey's most coveted chalice, Pritchard protects what the Penguins want to avoid discussing until they attain the all-important fourth win in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Penguins enter Sunday's Game 6 against Nashville with a chance to become the NHL's first back-to-back champions since Detroit in 1997 and 1998. Last year's achievement in no way made them more comfortable with the concept of openly acknowledging the Cup while it remains up for grabs.

“We don't even discuss it,” coach Mike Sullivan said following Saturday's practice in Cranberry. “That doesn't even enter the equation in our dressing room. We're trying to win a hockey game, and that's how we look at it. We're not getting ahead of ourselves.”

To avoid talk of the Cup or its presence in the building suited the Penguins just fine in 2016. There's no reason to deviate.

“I think once the puck drops, all of those distractions and everything like that just kind of moves to the back of your mind,” goalie Matt Murray said. “You just play hockey.”

Trusting what works

At Saturday's practice, the Penguins used the same line combinations and defensive pairings that netted them a 6-0 win over the Predators in Game 5 on Thursday.

If that's how the lineup looks Sunday in Game 6, know that Sullivan and his staff did more than just approve of the team's previous performance when they settled on the personnel decisions, from keeping Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel with Sidney Crosby to starting Murray in net.

“The (previous game's) score isn't so much the importance of it,” Sullivan said. “Regardless of what the outcome is or how the game goes, it's a learning experience for us, and it's a learning opportunity for us so that we've got a chance to be better in that next challenge. … Those conversations will take place until the very end.”

Still no Bonino

Just one lineup regular, Nick Bonino, did not participate in Saturday's practice. The center, who missed Games 3-5, continues to recover from a lower-body injury he suffered when he blocked a slap shot in Game 2. He boarded the team plane wearing a walking boot and using crutches.

Anxious times

With a booming voice and authoritative tone, Sullivan is the picture of self-assured confidence in the playoffs, whether he's running a practice or standing in front of a microphone.

In private moments, though, Sullivan admitted Saturday he worries things might go wrong just like anyone else would in his situation.

“I think coaches always worry,” Sullivan said. “It's just part of our DNA. We worry about everything all the time, so there isn't a (worry-free) day from the day training camp opens. I just think that's the nature of the business. And of all the coaches that I've been around, we all seem to be the same way.”

Sullivan said he deals with anxiety the same way many players do. He leans on routine.

“We're focused on the certain routines that work for all of us, and we'll go about our business as a team like we always do, and when that puck drops, we've got to be at our very best,” Sullivan said.

Staff writer Jonathan Bombulie contributed. Bill West is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.

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