Sidney Crosby (Penguins) -- The captain set the tone from the opening faceoff. He hit the post and drew a penalty on his first shift and assisted on the power-play goal. He had three assists to give him 20 Stanley Cup Final points, most in Penguins history, one more than Mario Lemieux.
Matt Murray (Penguins) -- He gave up eight goals in the two games in Nashville and allowed 12 in the first four games. There was talk about replacing him with Marc-Andre Fleury. Instead, he stopped 24 shots for a shutout, his second in nine appearances this postseason.
Phil Kessel (Penguins) -- Another player under fire, Kessel was flying all night and ended a six-game goal drought when he scored at 8:02 of the second period to make it 5-0. He had two assists, including a nifty drop pass on the goal by Evgeni Malkin that made it 3-0.
Olli Maatta (Penguins) -- The defenseman has struggled at times in this series but he was solid on Thursday. He had two hits and blocked two shots in 17:44.
Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) -- His goal, a hard shot off a drop pass from Kessel, made it 3-0 with 11 seconds left in first period. He also had five hits and blocked a shot.
Conor Sheary (Penguins) -- It didn't take long for the promotion to the first line to pay off. He was dangerous on numerous occasions and scored 1:19 into the second, beating replacement goalie Juuse Saros. He had two shots on goal, three shot attempts and two hits.
Ron Hainsey (Penguins) -- Playing in the biggest playoff game of his NHL career, Hainsey had a solid performance. He had a goal, his second of the postseason, and an assist in 20:56.
