San Jose Sharks’ Joonas Donskoi celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime of 3-2 win over Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of NHL Stanley Cup Final at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, June 4, 2016.
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The dominant first-period team in Games 1 and 2, Pittsburgh again controlled that battle early, landing the first seven shots of Game 3.
Sharks were outshot 42-26 for the game to continue the Penguins’ streak of out shooting opponents in these playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks are within two games to one in the Stanley Cup finals after rallying for a win against Pittsburgh Saturday night.
Martin Jones stopped 40 shots for the Sharks, who host Game 4 on Monday. It was his first goal of the Final and sixth of the playoffs – and likely the biggest in franchise history. LW Dainius Zubrus drew in to join the fourth line after being a healthy scratch in Game 2….
Despite all the warmth and fuzziness for San Jose, this game was all about the men between the pipes.
With control of the matchups on home-ice, San Jose managed to hold Sidney Crosby and the Penguins top line in check during the first 20 minutes and often enough throughout the night.
The Sharks were less than a period away from going down three games to none in the best-of-seven series, but Joel Ward forced overtime.
The Sharks responded only minutes later when Justin Braun scored his second goal of the playoffs with a high slapshot that got passed Matt Murray. Just as they did in the third period when they came up empty on a four-minute power play, the Sharks kept plugging, understanding that another overtime loss wouldn’t just set a record but also effectively end their Stanley Cup aspirations.
Sharks went on their first power play at the 10:39 mark of the second period when Carl Hagelin was called for tripping. As it would turn out, the Sharks would have to use nearly all of the four minutes to get the goal they so desperately needed.
In wake of the team’s first trip to the championship round, fans of Team Teal were pumped up for the big game. Murray admitted after the game that “it wasn’t a good goal by any means”. The puck was redirected by Hornqvist past Jones for his eighth goal of this postseason. It wound up with the defenseman Lovejoy, who let it rip for his second goal of this postseason. For the second consecutive game, the defenseman pinpointed a stick side gap next to Penguins goalie Matt Murray from outside, tying the score at 1-1 and resuscitating the San Jose ranks. Said Rust, who has six goals and nine points: “I think as far as what you learn, you learn that consistency, the amount of effort it takes, not only as a player, but as a team, to kind of be able make it far”.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third, the Sharks’ season was on the line as only one team has ever recovered from an 0-3 deficit to win the Cup final.
The Sharks had not led in the series until that goal.
“Not a lot of people on the East Coast get to see this guy play”, Sharks centre Logan Couture said of his 29-year-old teammate.
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They are not out of the woods yet, these Sharks – and they still haven’t had the lead for a single second of the series – but they have cut the Penguins’ lead in half, even if only by the skin of their teeth. Sharks F Tomas Hertl missed the game with a lower-body injury. The crowd at SAP Center observed a moment of silence in honor of boxing great Muhammad Ali, who died Friday.
