Sharks vs. Penguins: Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Key Moment
The San Jose Sharks didn’t know what it was like to play with a regulation lead this Stanley Cup Final.
Before Game 5 at Pittsburgh they hadn’t held an advantage against Pittsburgh Penguins outside of Joonas Donskoi’s overtime winner in Game 3.
They got their first lead when Brent Burns scored at the 1:04 mark of the first period and then padded it when Logan Couture got his ninth goal at the 2:53 mark to make it 2-0. But Pittsburgh closed back in a hurry with goals from Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin to tie the game at 2-2 at the 5:06 mark of the first.
With Pittsburgh pressing with a speedy forecheck, Melker Karlsson finished off a tic-tac-toe play from Brenden Dillon and Couture to give the Sharks a 3-2 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish at the 14:47 mark of the first.
Couture has been the Sharks best forward this series and he showed it with that feed. He leads the playoffs with 29 points in 23 games and has five points in five games in the Cup Final.
This was enough for goaltender Martin Jones to slam the door on the Penguins the rest of the game, making 44 saves on 46 Penguins shots on goal in a 4-2 win.
The Sharks became the 15th team (out of 33 series) to hold off elimination when facing a 3-1 deficit on the road.
“The biggest thing with our group in this playoffs and this season compared to years past is the composure, the calmness that we feel,” Couture said. “Obviously it’s tough. You get a two-goal lead, it’s gone in a matter of a minute, minute and a half. But be calm, get back out there, get another good shift. We were able to score again. Melker gave us the lead again. Jonesy did the rest.”
Really the Sharks never got into much of a rhythm because the Penguins were the aggressor for the entire game, outside of the early first period. They fired 46 shots on goal to the Sharks’ 21. The Penguins overall attempted 76 shots to San Jose’s 36.
But that goal showed San Jose wasn’t going to be intimidated by Pittsburgh’s speed, the sellout crowd at Consol Energy Center and the fact that the Stanley Cup was in the building ready to be handed out to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
When you’re playing in front of a hot goaltender like the Sharks were with Jones, one goal is crucial. And now because of that one goal they have a chance to extend the series to a Game 6 in front of their fans at San Jose on Sunday.
“I think every game has been really close. Just a bounce here or there. They’re all going to be tight,” said Burns. “Going forward, it’s going to be the same thing. It’s a matter of just trying to work for that balance. It’s been going their way. They’ve had good starts. I think obviously we’ve been fighting to get back in the games.”
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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
