The third period got off to a bad start when Nick Bonino was called for a double-minor penalty for high-sticking the Sharks’ Joe Thornton.
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Through the first two games of the series, Hertl had one goal and a team-leading five shots on net.
Joonas Donoski scored 12:18 into overtime to lift the Sharks to a 3-2 victory in Game 3. “You really can’t go down to 3-0 and expect to come back”, said Campbell, 48, of Campbell.
If the Penguins wanted to get where they are now _ two wins away from the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup _ it had to.
Reacting quickly to a Sharks clearing attempt that caromed off the sideboards, Lovejoy fired a weak slapshot from the right point that appeared to hit the left shinpad of San Jose defenceman Roman Polak before beating Jones. Despite being outplayed for nearly all of the first two games, the Sharks still managed to lose by only one goal with the victor coming in the final three minutes of Game 1 and in overtime in Game 2. San Jose pulled goalie Martin Jones late, but Pittsburgh played excellent defense and limited the number of good looks he would need to face. They now trail the series 2-1 and will host Game 4 on Monday. It was not Murray’s best game, even though he also made some important saves. Wristbands will be handed out from 8-9 a.m and the drawing to determine the numbered wristband that becomes “first in line” will be at 9:30 a.m.
“That’s one of the toughest things about being a defenceman”, Lovejoy said.
The general impression is that the Penguins have dominated the series, but two games have gone to overtime and Game 1 was decided in the final minutes of regulation. You just stay with it, keep trying to have the puck and play with it and get open.
It’s been a fascinating finals series thus far.
San Jose went on 66 power plays over the first 20 playoff games, an average of more than three per contest with a 27.3 percent scoring rate, the second-best among the 16 teams in the postseason.
On this night at least, the first-ever Stanley Cup final home game in Sharks history, the slogan proved accurate. On the positive side, San Jose has demonstrated an ability to come back again and again.
Pittsburgh’s speed survived the cross-country flight and made it all the way to the West Coast intact. The teams will next play Monday night, again in San Jose.
As was the case prior to Game 3, the Sharks will use the wristband distribution system.
Which (not to spoil the surprise) will be the case in every game of the Stanley Cup final from now until the next Ice Age. Ward took a pass from Donskoi as he entered the Pittsburgh zone, wound up, and snuck it through Murray, who got a piece of the shot but not enough.
Jones mishandled the puck after stopping an Eric Fehr shot to set up the Pittsburgh scoring chance. Not up a goal, not at that time, never in that situation.
But what if the Sharks learned something too, namely, that Penguins goaltender Matt Murray might be vulnerable on high shots?
Hornqvist had the unit’s first shot of the game with six minutes left in the second. Just moments later, the Sharks forged a tie with a slick shot by Justin Braun. Crosby and linemates, Conor Sheary and Patric Hornqvist, were contained by the Sharks defensive pair of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Braun, and held without a shot in the opening period.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the difference between being down 3-0 and 2-1 in a series.
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The Sharks played without top-line forward Tomas Hertl. The Sharks looked like they were on the powerplay despite it actually being even strength, and though they didn’t get more than a couple shots on goal during their surge it was a big reversal.
