The Penguins talked about getting more aggressive on their power play after not being pleased with their effort in Game 3.
Advertisement
That number not only leads all Pittsburgh players, it makes him only the 11th player in Penguins history to record at least 20 points in a single postseason, and the first since Malkin and Sidney Crosby did it during the 2009 run to the Stanley Cup.
Melker Karlsson scored the lone goal and Martin Jones made 17 saves for San Jose.
Pittsburgh defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who has 15 goals in 334 regular-season games, scored one of the Penguins’ goals in Game 3 and set up the other that was deflected in by Patric Hornqvist.
In Game 2 Penguins rookie Conor Sheary got the victor. “So, I’m giving you what I’ve got and he’s day-to-day”. Malkin’s goal, his second in the last seven games, snapped the Sharks’ streak of seven straight penalty kills.
The former Gophers star and besieged Toronto Maple Leaf assisted on two goals and leads the Penguins in playoff scoring with 21 points. It was a great sign for the Penguins, who are now getting contributions from just about everyone in this series. They allowed just three shots on goal and never allowed the trio of Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton to become major factors on special teams.
For San Jose coach Peter DeBoer, being in a dire situation is a familiar feeling.
“We’ve earned ourselves a good opportunity here”, said the 39-year-old, who has had a stellar finals series. The win in Game 3 came in sudden victory overtime.
It included a stop in Providence, R.I., on the opening night of the American Hockey League season and a game in Springfield, Mass., where 2,308 fans turned up at MassMutual Center. He answered the tough questions on Sunday and then he answered the call on Monday night picking up the game winning goal and an assist in the Penguins 3-1 win.
Tierney wound up with 1:25 of the Sharks’ six minutes of power play time in Game 3. By the end of the game, he had two shots and was flashing that familiar smile that had gone missing during a badly-timed slump. He’s been a big part of this playoff success.
It wasn’t classic Malkin, but it was close to the kind of breakout performance that the Penguins had been waiting for.
Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel hooked up to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead over the Sharks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. “He always creates stuff out there”.
In San Jose, the Sharks are still waiting for their big guns to show up.
“This group doesn’t get too frustrated”, he said.
“I think Geno is going to be fine”, Sullivan said.
And oddsmakers would say that because the Sharks trail by three games to one, they have nearly no chance to win the Cup.
Despite playing with a newfound level of desperation in the second half, and 12 shots on goal in the third period, the Sharks were unable to completely erase the two-goal deficit the Penguins has established by early in the second period. Against Murray, who had a hiccup in Game 3 but has been rock solid in this series, it was not almost enough.
The Sharks made a strong late push, and he robbed Couture, left all alone in the slot after a turnover by Kris Letang, late in the second.
“He’s been calm and cool in there”, Kessel said of Murray.
Advertisement
Karlsson spoiled Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray’s shutout bid with his fourth goal of the playoffs, picking up a rebound of Brenden Dillon’s blocked shot and beating Murray to make it 2-1 at 8:07 of the third. Fehr took the suspense out of the ending with a goal in the final minutes of the third period.
