Pittsburgh Penguins Only One Win Away from the Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled ahead of the San Jose Sharks with a 3-1 win in game four and a 3-1 lead in the series. The Pens are just one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup – potentially at home in the Steel City.

In many ways, this game was a must-win for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks. If the Penguins won, they would return home to Pittsburgh with only one game remaining between them and the Stanley Cup. If San Jose won, then the series would be even and they would have the momentum.

No pressure, eh?

The Sharks came out hot and tried to turn the tables on the Pens, playing very physically against the notably speedy Pittsburgh team. The Penguins looked like they just wanted to settle things down, and they quickly managed to do so. Matt Murray was sharp from the first puck drop, making all the necessary saves and helping his team slow down the Sharks.

The Penguins, then, would be the first to get on the board. Sidney Crosby whipped the puck on net and Martin Jones gave up a juicy rebound. The puck went straight to Ian Cole, who was cutting near the crease, and the defenseman roofed it past Jones to get his first goal of the postseason.

Not only was that his first goal of this particular postseason, it was Cole’s first CAREER playoff goal! It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. Congrats, Ian!

That was enough to sufficiently frustrate the Sharks, who would give the Penguins a powerplay shortly afterward. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who frequently squared off against Crosby back in their days in the QMJHL, pushed the Penguins’ captain through the open door to the bench. The Sharks’ d-man consequently took a seat for interference.

The Penguins have not been good on the powerplay this series, going 0-for-6 on man advantages before tonight. Though they did not score on this one, they looked significantly better than they have in the last few games. They sustained pressure and finally found a good balance between their passing and shooting. All things considered, it was a huge improvement despite not scoring.

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With just over five minutes in the period, the Sharks got their own chance on the PP as Ben Lovejoy got caught holding Patrick Marleau‘s stick. Lovejoy’s been pretty good this series, and through most of the Eastern Conference Final, doing a nice job of stepping up in Trevor Daley‘s absence.

The Pens killed off the penalty, and it was in no small part thanks to Murray in net. He was absolutely on fire throughout the first period, and it didn’t hurt that his defensemen bailed him out a few times too. Olli Maatta, who has been almost perfect since his return, saved a sure goal by getting his stick in the way and steering the Shark out of the way.

At one point during the kill, Nick Bonino took a high-stick to the face and it was not called. Whatever. I don’t even expect constant refereeing for either side at this point anymore… but it’s worth noting.

For the first time in a long time, the Penguins were outshot through the first twenty minutes. Granted, they still had the lead and both sides blocked a significant amount of shots, but that doesn’t happen much anymore. Again, though, the number in the goal column is far more important in the end than the one in the shots.

Everyone had been clamoring for a goal from Evgeni Malkin, particularly one on the powerplay. Naturally, I went to the bathroom early in the second period and came back to see that that exact thing had happened. I’m definitely not complaining but… come on, Geno, couldn’t you wait thirty seconds?

This goal was another neat one that Jones wasn’t really expecting, despite it coming from right on top of him. Geno had positioned himself right next to the side of the net and got himself in the way of Phil Kessel‘s shot to put it in the net. It could easily be argued that Kessel just passed to Geno and it wasn’t a deflection at all, just a perfectly executed move, but I’ll let you interpret that how you wish.

It was almost 3-0 just seconds after that, thanks to a shot that juuuuuust went off the post after it beat Jones. A couple minutes later and 150 feet down the ice, Kris Letang did a great job saving a goal for his own team and batted the puck away from a gaping net before a Shark could get to it.

Matt Murray continued to stand strong, as Letang gave the puck up in the Penguins’ own zone. Logan Couture took it uncontested to the net, but Murray followed it perfectly and blocked it out. One of the things I admire most about him is how focused and precise he is in the games after losses. He knows what he did wrong in net but also seems to recognize that it’s behind him and he can’t possibly stop them all. The only thing that matters is the next game.

Just as the period ran down, Bryan Rust took a penalty for hooking Brent Burns. Tensions were flaring high between the two and taking a penalty was unnecessary. The penalty was killed, and right at the end of the period Patric Hornqvist blocked a shot with his head to retain the Pens’ lead. That’s got to seriously hurt, but you can’t teach guys to sacrifice the body like that. That’s pure grit.

The Sharks came close to tying it up midway through the third period as Melker Karlsson scored his fourth of the playoffs. Karlsson is in the lineup to replace Tomas Hertl, who is reportedly out for the rest of the season with an injury. Hertl is very good and a force to be reckoned with, but Karlsson has shown that he should not be underestimated either.

Luckily, the Penguins managed to stave off another San Jose comeback. Carl Hagelin and Eric Fehr teamed up to put the nail in the coffin with just about two minutes remaining in the game. The Sharks’ defenders concentrated on Hagelin, allowing him to pass the puck to Fehr in the slot who zoomed in and beat Jones.

The Sharks responded by pulling Jones and taking a time-out, trying their hardest to stay in the game. However, the Penguins were just too strong. The Pens would take the series home to Pittsburgh, just one goal away from their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

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A few immediate impressions: the Penguins were held to comparatively few shots tonight, with only 20 shots. They were also out-shot by San Jose, who only put a paltry 24 on net. That’s very unusual for the Penguins. However, it shows that both sides were blocking shots left and right and getting in the way of open lanes. Nick Bonino has consistently been one of the best shot-blockers in the playoffs, and tonight was no different.

If the Penguins can continue to play like this, the Stanley Cup will be hoisted at home in Pittsburgh in just a matter of days.