The Predators are down 2-0 to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final, but Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban is optimistic his team will right the ship back at home on Saturday.
"We're going back home, we're going to win the next game," Subban said after the Predators' Game 2 loss in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. "Then, we'll go from there."
"The focus shifts to, 'We don't lose in our building,'" said Subban, whose team is 7-1 at Bridgestone Arena this postseason.
Asked Thursday about his comments, Subban didn't back down.
"I feel even more confident now that I had a night of rest. There's no question we are going to win the next game," Subban told reporters Thursday, according to Sportsnet.
In both of their losses to the Penguins this series, the Predators have allowed at least four goals, but Subban said Wednesday that his team is still in a good mental state, despite its season inching closer to the brink.
"There's no frustration. We're learning," Subban said. "We've got guys in here that are learning. We're going to learn from those two games, and there's not one ounce of doubt in this locker room.
"We're going to learn from our mistakes, and we're going to get better. And like I said, we'll be ready to play next game."
Nashville coach Peter Laviolette also said some time at home should help his club.
"Our building is great, the atmosphere is great," Laviolette said. "There's going to be a lot of energy in the building. We're happy to get home. Our home building's been a good place for us."
Though Subban was held without a point in Wednesday's loss, he still managed to provide a memorable moment, as he and Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin earned matching five-minute fighting penalties for engaging in a brief scuffle in the third period.
Subban, who had 44 penalty minutes in 66 regular-season games this season, said he didn't take kindly to some things Malkin said in Russian.
"He speaks a little bit of Russian, but I played with some Russians too," the Canada native said. "So I didn't like what he said, so I said something back to him, and then we went."
When asked to translate, Subban laughed and declined to share.