After a rough start in Pittsburgh, San Jose answered back with a critical win on Saturday night as they cut the Penguins series lead in half.
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San Jose is looking to tie the series up after notching its first Stanley Cup Final win in franchise history in Game 3. “I think that’s when we started to see what he was capable of”. Pittsburgh has to veterans now in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin that have played in huge games like this before, though neither has been able to score a goal in the series.
The one place where those players haven’t showed up so far is on the goal-scoring sheet.
“You look through these playoffs and third-line, fourth-line guys have stepped up for both teams and scored big goals”, Sharks center Logan Couture said Sunday.
Murray allowed a similar goal in the second round to Washington Capitals forward Justin Williams in Game 6.
The Sharks may have won Game 3, but the only time they have had the lead in the series is when Donskoi’s shot flew over Matt Murray’s shoulder and found the top corner of the net.
Today: Pittsburgh at San Jose, 7 p.m.
With their backs against the wall in a critical Game 3 at home, the Sharks responded with their best effort of the series on Saturday night. “It’s tough this time of year”.
As their appearance in the Stanley Cup Final proves, Jones has changed this team’s outlook today – and for years to come. The Devils, in fact, have the lone win during that stretch, winning Game 4 in Los Angeles, 3-1, in their six-game loss to the Kings in 2012.
“I want more”, Malkin said, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. “We got away with it the other night”. I don’t think the game is that simple. And how would the rookie Murray respond after giving up the soft goal to Ward and the victor to Joonas Donskoi. “You have to be comfortable you can survive doing that with the other parts”. “It’s tight. Like I keep seeing year after year, there’s a small margin of error. If you have a chance to make it work, that’s great”.
The injury is suspected to be a lower-body issue sustained during the third period of Game 2 in Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, they won’t have him back just get. “They play so close and so tight”.
Hertl has six goals and five assists in 20 National Hockey League playoff games this season.
Coach Peter DeBoer said Hertl will not be ready to play Game 4 on Monday and remains day to day. Not only when you shorten your bench, when Tomas Hertl goes down, you’ve got somebody that you can put on the wing with Joe [Pavelski] and [Joe Thornton]. That’s not an easy role to play. Sharks fans, and a few Sharks players, immediately went to Google the name D-O-N-S-K-O-I.
Ward delivered a lengthy tying blast for the Sharks just as time was expiring on their power-play and sent them into the locker room with renewed optimism.
Given the strength of the Sharks forecheck, blocking shots might be the path to victory for the Penguins. Prior to Game 3, the Sharks hadn’t been outshot in three-consecutive games since November 22. Part of the way to defend against it is to deny the opportunity of the puck to get to those areas.
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“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him”, winger Tom Kuhnhackl said. “It just that end result hasn’t been there, that shot hasn’t finalized”. “The problem is that once you get beyond about three feet from the net, holes open up”.
