NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ Even with the Stanley Cup line, emotions in a playoff series tend to build up in a slow simmer rather than a quick flash.
Game 1 was largely unremarkable from a physical perspective. Things ratcheted up a bit in Game 2 with Matt Irwin's hit from behind on Matt Cullen and Chris Kunitz's cross-check to P.K. Subban's head.
We may have reached a boiling point in the third period of Game 3.
Fifteen different penalties were assessed in the final 10 minutes of the Predators' 5-1 win Saturday night. Five players received 10-minute misconduct penalties that ended their evenings early, and the teams combined for 78 total penalty minutes on the night.
And most importantly, Subban's oral hygiene was called into question.
"There's a sense of desperation on both sides," defenseman Ian Cole said. "We weren't really happy, obviously, with how the game went. And they weren't happy with us."
The Predators have largely avoided the annoyance tactics the Penguins saw from their first three playoff opponents (see: the Senators squirting water at Sidney Crosby from their bench), but they're clearly not afraid of adding some borderline physicality to their game if the moment calls for hit.
James Neal played on Penguins teams that were undone by some chippy play from the other side. Even if the Predators aren't going to go to extreme lengths to get at Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins' other star players, Neal knows he and his teammates can't let them get too comfortable out there.
"I think you try to get under their skin a little bit," Neal said. "Those are guys that have been here before. They've had guys definitely try to get under their skin before.
"We're just trying to play hard, do the right things out there. They're top players. They have to be physical, be aware every shift. As you saw in the first couple games, you know, the second you're not aware of them, they're behind you and have a scoring chance."
Rookie winger Jake Guentzel apparently has joined that class of players this postseason, too. It makes sense, he's the NHL's leading goal-scorer this postseason and has scored at least once in all three of the Stanley Cup final games so far.
Guentzel was on the receiving end of some trash talk from Subban in the third period, just before Crosby allegedly told Subban his breath stinks.
"It's just a game of hockey," Guentzel said. "Whatever they throw at you, you've got to do your best to adjust and do your thing."
The biggest flashpoint to watch in Game 4 will likely be between Irwin and Cullen. There was another incident of Matt-on-Matt crime late in the third period of Game 3 that set most of the post-whistle shenanigans into motion. Cullen has also mixed it up with Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm _ technically, another Matt _ so that combination could provide some sparks as well.
Scott Wilson said after Game 2 that "hatred is a good thing" in a series with so much on the line. There certainly seems to be at least a little bit of hatred now, and it's not far under the surface.
"I think there's some bad blood boiling," Cole said. "And we'll see how it goes moving forward."
