Sharks vs. Penguins: Stanley Cup Final Game 3 Key Moment
Joel Ward skated into the Pittsburgh Penguins zone in the third period Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final and decided to shoot the puck.
The lane was there for Ward and his team was down 2-1 so he figured a simple play could create a chance for his San Jose Sharks.
Ward’s rocket past Murray’s glove tied the game at 2-2 and helped set up Joonas Donskoi’s overtime winner that gave San Jose their first win of the Stanley Cup Final, a 3-2 victory.
“I just had a transition rush, three-on-two,” Ward said. “Just going to hold on to it for a split second. Just kind of saw a lane, just buried the head and just took a slapper. Fortunate to go in.”
The Sharks are down 2-1 in the series, but a loss to the Penguins would have put San Jose down 3-0, an almost insurmountable margin. Ward’s goal was a big reason why they’re still alive in the Cup Final.
San Jose signed Ward for three years at $9.825 million in the offseason hoping he could add a clutch component to the team. There have been several occasions in this playoff run where Ward has made a big play in important moments. In Game 1 of the second-round against the Nashville Predators, Ward scored one goal and added an assist to help his team to a comeback victory.
In Games 5 and 6 against the St. Louis Blues, Ward had two goals in each game to help his team reach their first Stanley Cup Final in organization history. The goal in Game 3 against Pittsburgh was his seventh of the playoffs, which ranks third on the Sharks.
In the regular season Ward has averaged 0.44 points per-game and 0.19 goals per-game in 596 career contests. In the playoffs, he has averaged 0.66 points per-game and 0.28 goals per-game in 75 contests.
Ward said he pays attention to other athletes and how they elevate their games in the postseason.
“I just visualize. I’ve watched other sports. I’ve watched other guys and always tried to emulate, listen to their quotes. I got one from Paul Pierce.I watched him in the playoffs the last couple seasons. People always knocked him down a little bit in the regular season, but in the playoffs he always stepped up. Just athletes like that that step up at different times,” Ward said. “I try to pick up little things. I just visualize, think going out there and having fun. It’s just fun.”
Ward’s goal and, how it was scored on a long-range shot, could re-open some doubt into Pittsburgh rookie goaltender Matt Murray. After Pittsburgh’s decision last round to go with Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 5 – a choice that was much-maligned – it seems unlikely they’ll make a switch again.
“It’s not a good goal by any means (to give up),” Murray said.
Ward’s goal was one of two Murray would probably like to have back – the other one being Justin Braun’s first period goal. Those are tough plays to forget for any goaltender – especially a 22-year-old rookie.
“I thought Matt was solid. Made some big saves and gave us a chance to win tonight,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the game.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
