Two games into the Stanley Cup Final and one thing that immediately sticks out is how incredibly physical the series has been.
Both the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins made the playoffs based on their speed and ability to control the game on both ends of the ice. With clearly different paths getting to the Final, Nashville had to adapt its game in playing the two most physical teams among the 16 playoff teams in the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks.
In both the Blues and Ducks, Nashville utilized the size and strength of players like Cody McLeod and Vernon Fiddler to matchup against the opposition and send a message that the Predators weren’t going to be pushed around the ice.