Morning Bag Skate: Predators squash Penguins 5-1 in Game 3 of Stanley Cup Finals

After struggling in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals and down 2-0 in the series, the Predators clawed back into it with a defining 5-1 victory over the Penguins on Saturday night.  Game four is slated for tomorrow and puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm Central Time on NBC. Expect a fired up crowd and plenty of catfish on the ice.

BLACKHAWKS

**What do the Blackhawks’ in-house options look like for defensemen? (Blackhawk Up)

CENTRAL DIVISION

**RECAP: Goal Explosion! Preds make Finals a 2-1 series (On The Forecheck)

**The Dallas Stars are not interested in acquiring Alex Ovechkin (Mike Heika)

**Stars center Jason Spezza should expect and benefit from more playing time (DMN)

**Interest in Blues defenseman Colton Parayko is rising (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

**A case for protecting Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom from Draft (Arctic Ice Hockey)

NHL

**Why this Stanley Cup Final is impossible to peg (SB Nation)

**A frustrated Evgeni Malkin raised his stick at a Preds fan after the loss (Puck Daddy)

**Predators fans chant “It’s All Your Fault!” at Penguins’ Matt Murray (Pred Lines)

**Matt Murray unfazed by his career-worst playoff performance (Pitt Tribune-Review)

**VIDEO: Former NFL coach Rex Ryan took a turn at smashing a Penguins car (FTW)

**Freddy Gaudreau is another depth player who has stepped it up for Preds (OTF)

**There is still no consensus on who Devils will choose with the no. 1 pick (NHL.com)

HOCKEY WORLD

**Preparing for the 2017 Women’s Ball Hockey World Championships (The Ice Garden)