5 Keys To Beating The Sharks In Stanley Cup Final
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – And then there were two.
In October, 30 teams embarked on a quest to win the Stanley Cup. In April, 16 were deemed worthy enough to compete in Lord Stanley's tournament.
Today, only the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks remain.
This is Penguins' first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since winning it all in 2009. As for San Jose, it's their first ever appearance in the Final.
Both teams feature plenty of stars and skill, but only one will see their names etched in silver.
So, how can the Penguins bring the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh for the fourth time in franchise history? Here are five keys:
- Appreciate & Embrace The Moment
As stated above, this is the first time the Penguins have made it back to the Final since 2009. It's kind of hard to believe, considering the team made it to the Final in consecutive seasons. Nothing is guaranteed in this league, but seven years seems even longer after that kind of success.
Since then, the team has dealt with its fair share of adversity, including crippling injuries to star players, varying degrees of playoff disappointments, etc.
Furthermore, it was hard to picture this team even making the playoffs in December.
That adversity, coupled with some incredible moves by General Manager Jim Rutherford, has given this team a new identity and a renewed sense of belief.
It will be up to those who have been here before to lead the way. I'm looking at guys like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen to set an example for the young guys.
Every year, storylines emerge about veteran players that have never won the Stanley Cup. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are the players with that distinction coming into this year's Final.
The former first and second overall picks in the 1997 Draft have more than 3,000 career games played. Both are making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
They have taken a lot of criticism over the years for previous Sharks' failures, but you can bet they're going to give their all in this series.
- Team Defense
The way the Penguins played defense against the Tampa Bay Lightning was extraordinary – especially with their backs against the wall.
Over the final two games of the series, the Penguins allowed a total of 47 shots on net. However, that number is a little skewed as Tampa Bay tried to fight back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period of Game 6.
Here were the shots on goal by period over the final two games: 4, 7, 20, 5, 5, 7.
Keep in mind, the Penguins achieved that without Trevor Daley in the lineup. He broke his ankle during Game 4 and was said to be lost for the season. While unlikely, Daley said he is hoping to return sometime during the Final.
I doubt it happens, but you can't fault anyone for wanting to play in this series if at all possible.
Regardless, the Penguins will need to continue to be responsible in their own end, get in passing lanes and block shots as a team.
Not to mention, they'll need to get after the Sharks on the forecheck. I'm looking for the HBK Line to lead the way once again in that regard.
"The Pens need to stay hounding pucks on the forecheck. They've been disturbing everyone's offense by doing that," former Penguins player Mike Rupp said. Rupp is now an NHL Network analyst, who is part of "NHL Tonight."
Rupp stopped by KDKA-TV on Monday and elaborated on the effects of the Penguins' forecheck during the playoffs.
"They have been so quick on pucks. We saw them for the most part shut down Alex Ovechkin and they seem to be really slowing offensive teams down. The reason why they're doing that is because they're so quick getting on the defense. So, when the opposing team's defense is going back to get pucks, these teams are used to making the clean plays at times coming out of the zone, hitting their forwards in stride right on the tape and getting to the offense. The Pens get in there so fast on the [defense] that they're rushed to make decisions. Any time you're rushed, there's a chance you're going to make a bad decision, or it's not going to be a clean play. So, now these forwards are getting the puck in their skates, have to field them off the glass. When you do that, it's going to be frustrating for the forwards because now, what they've been doing all year and feeling good about, they're not feeling so good about it. I think that that's the key."
- Stay Out Of The Box
The Penguins will obviously be penalized at some point during the series. I'm more referring to the ill-advised penalties the Penguins seem to take when they get frustrated. You know, who I'm talking about.
Aside from the obvious reasons to stay out of the box, the Sharks' power play is lethal.
How lethal? They're clicking at a 27 percent (17-for-63) rate so far in the playoffs.
The Penguins have been good on the penalty kill in the playoffs (83.1 percent), but this will be the most dangerous power play they've faced yet.
Logan Couture (4 goals, 7 assists) is the top scorer on the power play in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Brent Burns (4 goals, 5 assists) and Joe Pavelski (5 goals, 4 assists) are tied for second with Phil Kessel (5 goals and 4 assists) and Sidney Crosby (3 goals, 6 assists).
Joe Thornton (1 goal, 6 assists) and Patrick Marleau (1 goal, 5 assists) aren't far behind either.
With a series as tight as this, the Penguins can't start a parade to the box and hope to still win the Stanley Cup.
- Matt Murray
First of all, can we stop the discussion about a goaltending "controversy" in Pittsburgh? There is no controversy. There never was one.
Matt Murray has been spectacular in the playoffs with an 11-4 record to go along with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
Again, this isn't a knock on Marc-Andre Fleury. It's not his fault he suffered a concussion and was out for longer than he would have liked. He got a shot in Game 5 against Tampa Bay and was admittedly rusty. There's no time to shake off the rust at this stage. Murray came back in for the final two games and played well. Perhaps the little break was good for him.
But, he's going to need to be better against the Sharks.
Logan Couture (24), Joe Pavelski (22) and Brent Burns (20) lead the league in playoff scoring. Phil Kessel is tied for fifth with Joe Thornton at 18 points.
San Jose's top two lines are the most dangerous group of forwards the Penguins have seen yet.
"They have the opportunity to give Matt Murray something he hasn't seen. Their offense, their guys that are willing to get to the front of the net to create traffic and tips is very strong and they need to get to that. They need to fire the puck as much as they can and try to get to him early in the series," Rupp said.
- Make Use Of Home Ice Advantage
Home ice advantage isn't what it once was in the National Hockey League. But, the Penguins certainly got a boost during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay.
CONSOL Energy Center has never been louder. At one point in the third period, the crowd topped 120 decibels. By comparison, that's as loud as a rock concert.
"I thought it was incredible," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "It's the loudest that I've heard a building in all my years I've been associated with this league…to the point where we had to scream to the players on who was up next."
Entering the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins are 7-3 on home ice. Meanwhile, the Sharks are 5-4 on the road. Of course, that also figures in an odd seven-game series against Nashville, which the home team won every game.
Regardless, there's an energy building around the Penguins and the city. I know I've noticed more Pens gear walking around Downtown, or while running errands.
In the last week, two cashiers have noticed my Penguins hat and have had to talk to me about the team. The long line of people waiting hasn't seemed to mind either.
It's a small sample size, but I don't get out much this time of year. You know, playoff routines aren't going to complete themselves.
Anyway, it's a different vibe all around the area. This is a special team and a fun one to watch. Hopefully, the Penguins continue to feed off that energy and take care of business.
Prediction
So, it all comes down to this. Before we get to mine, I asked Rupp for his prediction.
"I think the Pens. I don't think it's any mistake that they have made the Rangers look so poorly. They really made Washington look bad and really, in the Tampa series, I know it went seven, but they controlled that series big time. So, I think the Pens will do the same to the Sharks. The Sharks haven't played this fast team like the Pens. Let's be real here, the star power of the Penguins hasn't even fully carried the load yet. They've been good, they've been very good, don't get me wrong. But, I think in this series Crosby will almost singlehandedly win one game for them, Malkin will almost singlehandedly win one game for them. That's two games right there, so they've got enough talent to get the rest done," Rupp said.
When I step back and look at these two teams, it's so hard to find a clear-cut winner. Both teams are loaded on offense and defense and have strong, young netminders.
In the end, it's going to come down to the fine margins. If the Penguins can stay out of the box and play like they did during their comeback against Tampa Bay, they can win this series.
If the HBK line can continue to torment the Sharks, it should open up opportunities for guys like Crosby and Malkin to take over.
Not to mention, the Penguins' fourth line has been known to come up with a big goal or two these playoffs.
I think the Penguins are a little deeper up front than the Sharks. Kris Letang is going to make things happen and make plays defensively. He's an elite defensemen in this league. But, the steady play from Brian Dumoulin, Ben Lovejoy and the reemergence of Olli Maatta on defense has been really impressive. If they can continue to shine and limit chances for the Sharks, it should be enough to win.
For those reasons, I think the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup in seven games.
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