While they may be a bit under-the-radar, they are just as paramount to their team’s success. Pittsburgh’s only two losses since came in overtime games they didn’t trail until the final goal.
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In his absence Saturday night, San Jose was able to nab their first victory of the series. Only then did the Sharks’ superior size and superior group of defensemen begin to make a difference.
Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer said left wing Tomas Hertl will miss a second straight game because of a lower-body injury and that Hertl’s status remains day to day. “We’ve got a lot of guys, we talk about interchangeable parts, but we have a lot of guys that play on our third line, play on our fourth line, that can jump up or have played higher in the lineup in the past”.
The Penguins have led the majority of the series, with the Sharks’ only lead coming on the overtime-winner from Donskoi, but Pittsburgh certainly squandered an opportunity to take a 3-0 series lead after outshooting San Jose 42-26 in Game 4.
“I said right at the beginning of the series, it’s which team can impose their game on the other team for the longest stretch”, DeBoer said. We are going to do everything we can to keep pucks out of the net.
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.
“They sling pucks from everywhere”, DeBoer said.
The 22-year-old Hertl, who plays alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski on the Sharks’ top line, was replaced on Saturday evening by Swedish winger Melker Karlsson. “We lead 2-1 in the series”.
The San Jose Sharks are back in this series with a crucial Game 4 on home ice.
“It’s to be expected as the series goes on, and teams learn more and more about each other”, Crosby said. “They came hard last game”. Braun’s goals were huge, but the way he and linemate Marc-Edouard Vlasic shut down Sidney Crosby was the more promising aspect of his performance looking forward.
As the Sharks look to even the Stanley Cup Finals at two wins apiece, they will continue to look for ways to reach Pittsburgh rookie goalie Matt Murray with shots on goal.
Just as the Sharks can neutralize the Penguins’ speed by banging around in their zone, the Penguins can neutralize the Sharks’ physicality by breaking out crisply, moving the puck quickly and skating. “The Rangers did it, Washington did it….” Going back for pucks, winning the puck against bigger players, taking hits.
Hagelin, Kessel and Bonino combined for 10 shots on goal in Game 3. How insane? By game time, play-by-play man Mike Emrick revealed that he had dispensed with the customary hand-held microphones in favor of noise-muffling headsets “because it does get so loud in here”.
The Pens seemed prepared for the weather, and navigated efficiently through San Jose’s hydra of screens to prevent shots in Game 3.
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Thursday, June 9: San Jose at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
