Pekka Rinne stopped 38 of Anaheim's 41 shots Monday night in a 6-3 victory that sent the Predators to their first Stanley Cup Finals, which begins next Monday in Pittsburgh or Ottawa.

The reigning NHL champion Penguins are now one win away from advancing to their second consecutive Stanley Cup finals. With the way they beat the Senators so convincingly 7-0 in Game 5 on Sunday, new evidence was provided that this banged-up group might have more than enough left in the reserves to pull off a repeat.

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold says he's "happily surprised" by the excitement generated in Nashville by the Predators, the club that he helped bring into the NHL nearly 20 years ago.

Leipold said Wednesday that seeing the support for the Predators in a nontraditional market has been "pretty cool to watch."

When asked whether he was jealous of division-rival Nashville's success, in light of his Wild's elimination in the first round, Leipold said he was simply envious of all four teams still alive in the playoffs.