Exactly seven years to the day since their last Cup victory, the Penguins hoisted the game’s greatest prize for the fourth time, beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 6 at SAP Center on Sunday night. His 15 playoff wins by a rookie equals a Stanley Cup Final record. “You’re just up in the play a lot and the “D” isn’t where the forwards expect because we’re pushing”, said Burns, who played almost 10 minutes in the second period. While San Jose managed to win two of those games, there was very little doubt that it was the inferior team. Crosby said he wasn’t thinking about 2009 all that much when he held the trophy for the second time. “Seeing him on the puck in the offensive zone this playoff, you couldn’t get it off him and there were times in a game where you really needed to see that to help a guy’s confidence and you saw it tonight”.
Advertisement
“We skated with puck, we skated without puck, we always skate”, Evgeni Malkin said of the shift under Sullivan. “But it does. That’s kind of the reality of playing hockey”.
Well, a big part of their success was the HBK Line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel.
ESPN Stats and Info also noted that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Crosby is the third skater to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite not scoring a goal in the Stanley Cup Final.
“I think he believes in himself, ” Sullivan said. “He’s that good in my mind”.
“He (Crosby) is a special guy and a special player and even more so a special person”.
The city prepared for a victory parade to celebrate the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championship as its police and other public safety officials celebrated a victory of their own: making only one arrest as fans poured into the streets to celebrate Sunday night’s win.
During most of the regular season, the Penguins hardly looked like a championship-caliber team. The two outliers, the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes (48.2 percent) and the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins (48.4 percent), were close. There was no second celebration in the Crosby era – until now. But it was his all-around play, timely scoring and leadership that probably won over voters.
As many experts anticipated going into the series, the Penguins’ speed and luxury of having four lines that can contribute offensively has helped them have the run of play against San Jose. But the Penguins found their stride under Sullivan and took off in March.
“It wasn’t easy getting here, especially the way things started out”, Crosby said.
“I’m not going to tell you all the secrets, we’re going to keep them for the next year”, he joked in another exclusive conversation.
The Sharks qualified for the playoffs and got better as the journey grew longer, knocking off the L.A. Kings, the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues to reach hockey’s grandest stage. Pittsburgh outshot San Jose 27-19 Sunday and had a 206-137 advantage in the series.
The Penguins unloaded 27 shots and slipped just two past Jones. The Penguins sealed it when Crosby blocked a shot from Marc-Edouard Vlasic that set up Hornqvist’s empty-netter. He attempted to return this season and played in 18 games while on blood thinners, with two goals and two assists, before experiencing chest pains in a December 1 game against the Sharks.
Logan Couture, scored the only goal for the Sharks, who were competing in their first Stanley Cup final in their 25-year franchise history.
The Sharks stole game five from the Penguins thanks to the brilliant goaltending of Martin Jones.
Advertisement
“The end is like hitting a wall”, DeBoer said.
