The Sharks will obviously be a desperate team on the verge of elimination.
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Will the Pittsburgh Penguins close out the Stanley Cup Final tonight when they host the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 at 8PM ET?
He has played both ends of the rink, hustled back on defence when in danger, and his speed and the heft of his shot – which still seems to surprise goaltenders, who are unable to handle the wide-angle bullet to the same lower, left-hand corner where he typically aims – have been as unsafe as any weapons in the Penguins’ considerable arsenal.
The regular season saw the Sharks finish with the best road record in the National Hockey League and demonstrate an uncanny ability to bounce back after a disheartening loss. He scored the overtime victor that eliminated the Washington Capitals in the second round and the victor in Game 1 of the finals. It makes sense for the Conn Smythe leader to come from this line. “It’s simple game tonight for me”. But it’s just as probable that Murray gets the Conn Smythe for being the backbone of a championship team as a rookie – a compelling story in its own right, with the numbers to back it up. “You could feel in the room that we were going to win that night”.
“My guy’s Crosby. He’s on a mission, as far as I’m concerned”. “We’ve been able to get the big goal when we needed it”. The only team to come all the way back was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who actually overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings. It didn’t go over well, and they nixed the technology after two seasons, but the fact remains – a hockey puck is very tiny and moves very quickly.
Winning the Stanley Cup is arguably the toughest task in pro sports and the Pittsburgh Penguins are a win away from returning to the top of the mountain. San Jose will look to place some doubt in the minds of Pittsburgh if they can find a way to take Game 5.
Almost 19,000 fans are expected at the game, and a similar number are expected to gather outside to watch the game on a big-screen television or fill the streets should the Penguins win.
“I’ve told these guys from day one that we believe in this group”, Sullivan said. We get that first goal and we get some momentum.
The man they call “Trader Jim” spent the better part of the next 18 months making over the Pittsburgh Penguins on the fly.
Pittsburgh has grabbed the lead in all four games, gaining an advantage with aggressive first periods.
“You just have capitalize on some of your chances early”, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said.
If you’ve never seen it before, this is definitely one to check out.
The Sharks did like their defensive effort in Game 4 more than in any other game of the Cup final.
Looking to head off an unruly victory celebration – assuming there is one – Costa said crews will collect abandoned furniture and empty trash containers. We’re doing some good stuff.
“I think that motivation should inspire guys to be at their best”, he said. “He’s competing a lot harder away from the puck than he ever has before”. Sharks goalie Martin Jones has been better. The problem is the Sharks have only managed seven goals on Penguins goalie Matt Murray. These playoffs have really been about the teams who are hardest to put down, so anyone who thinks the Sharks will go down easily should really think harder.
They’ll need to if they want to have another practice.
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“I mean for some reason lots of people don’t like Phil Kessel”, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said.
