The San Jose Sharks have been a successful franchise for
their 25 years of existence. They have had many great players come to the Bay
Area. However, the team has never made it to hockey’s greatest spectacle, the
Stanley Cup Final. Now, after a brutally long wait, the Sharks are finally in
the Stanley Cup Final. Awaiting them on the other side are the Pittsburgh
Penguins, a team that knows full well about what it takes to win the Stanley
Cup.
The San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins will meet in the Stanley
Cup Final, as both teams vie to hold Lord Stanley’s Cup. Game 1 will be on
Monday at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The two squads met two times
during the regular season, and the teams split the season series. The Sharks won
the first game, 3-1 in Pittsburgh, while the Penguins won the second game, 5-1
at the SAP Center in San Jose. In the first round, the Sharks defeated the Los
Angeles Kings, the consensus Western Conference favorite in five games.
Then in
the Semifinals, San Jose defeated the Nashville Predators in seven games. In
the Western Conference Finals, the Sharks outlasted the St. Louis Blues in six
games to reach the Stanley Cup Final. In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals,
Pittsburgh defeated the New York Rangers in five games, after dropping Game 1
of that series. Then in the second round, they ousted the President’s Cup
Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals in six games. In the Eastern Conference
Finals, they defeated the Tampa Lightning in seven games to advance to the
Stanley Cup for the first time since 2009.
San Jose
The Sharks surprising run to the Stanley Cup has been
steered by the club’s core of veterans. Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Patrick
Marleau have combined for 52 points this postseason. All three of these players
will be making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks
stingy defense has been led by Brent Burns, who has 20 points in these
playoffs. San Jose has gotten increased production from defenseman Marc
Edouard-Vlasic, who has 11 points, and a team leading 13 plus-minus rating.
Goaltender Martin Jones has evolved into a playoff star for the Sharks. The
netminder is 12-6 this postseason, with a 2.12 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Jones has also had three shutouts, including in Game 7 of the second round
against Nashville. San Jose doesn’t have home ice advantage in the finals, but
it doesn’t seem to faze the resilient squad. San Jose had home ice advantage
for just one of the team’s three playoff series. San Jose is a physical squad
that can wear you down very easily. However, what’s truly gotten them to this
point is their balanced attack. San Jose possesses the ability to win in a
high-scoring affair, or in a close, physical game. San Jose has relied on that
attack throughout the postseason, and it is why they have reached this point.
When Jones is playing up to his full potential, the Sharks are a really hard
team to beat.
Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made at to this point because
of one main reason, their offense. The team had the best offense during the
regular season, and they haven’t slowed down during the playoffs. Leading the
way on offense for Pittsburgh has been Phil Kessel. The right winger has a team
leading 18 points, as he has been the star of the postseason for the Penguins.
Also, the club has gotten production from its two star centers. Sidney Crosby
and Evgeni Malkin have combined for 30 points, as they are consistently the
best center duo in the NHL. Pittsburgh has received unexpected production from
rookie Bryan Rust, who has eight points this postseason. Rust recorded two
goals in the Penguins Game 7 win over the Lightning. The big question mark for
Pittsburgh is goaltending. Matt Murray has been in net for practically all of
the playoffs. However, the team just got starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury back
from a concussion injury. Fleury started in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference
Finals, but he allowed four goals. Murray has gone 11-4 during the postseason,
he has a 2.22 GAA, and he has a .924 save percentage. Pittsburgh knows what
they’ll got from the offense, but they will need some of their second and third
line defenders to step up, or else it could be a long series for the Penguins.
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