So one game is in the books, and it was good. 3-2 for Pittsburgh over San Jose. There is a bit of irony in that the Sharks came into the league in 1991/92 and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup that year. 25 years later, it's San Jose trying to stop them from winning another. And San Jose is themselves trying to win it all for the first time in their quarter-century history.
First of is the status of Bryan Rust. He missed today's practice, and optional one. He left the game after taking a hit, returning only for one shift. Rust then left the game for good. It is not known whether he can play in the second contest.
The second game is important for San Jose. Dropping the first game is no big deal in a best-of-seven affair. The Pens again displayed their speed, but the Sharks were right with them, battling back from 2-0 down to tie it. Pittsburgh won it on Nick Bonino's tally with less than three minutes to play.
I thought both goalies played well. Martin Jones, though, really made some eye-popping ones. Matt Murray made some big saves with the game on the line, and Pittsburgh was forced to kill off a six on four situation late in the third period. San Jose didn't go away quietly.
If I were to fault San Jose, it would be for some undisciplined penalties. The team had tied it in the second, only to take a penalty just forty seconds later. While Pittsburgh didn't score on it, San Jose lost some momentum from their game with that.
What the Sharks need to do is find a way to slow the Pens down in the crucial second game. Perhaps if Rust is unavailable that will make the task easier.
How about the two other goalies? Weren't both Marc-Andre Fleury and James Reimer once starters? I'm not sure if either of them will make any appearances (Save in lost causes) in the finals, given what we've seen from both Martin and Murray. Gotta be a little hard on them to be just riding the pine, when they could very well be in their in the thick of it. Another side-story.
In any event the first finals game of the Stanley Cup in 2016 was a classic, one-goal games. But to be fair, I expect a lot more from Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the second game. It's time for the big guns to raise their game!
First of is the status of Bryan Rust. He missed today's practice, and optional one. He left the game after taking a hit, returning only for one shift. Rust then left the game for good. It is not known whether he can play in the second contest.
The second game is important for San Jose. Dropping the first game is no big deal in a best-of-seven affair. The Pens again displayed their speed, but the Sharks were right with them, battling back from 2-0 down to tie it. Pittsburgh won it on Nick Bonino's tally with less than three minutes to play.
I thought both goalies played well. Martin Jones, though, really made some eye-popping ones. Matt Murray made some big saves with the game on the line, and Pittsburgh was forced to kill off a six on four situation late in the third period. San Jose didn't go away quietly.
If I were to fault San Jose, it would be for some undisciplined penalties. The team had tied it in the second, only to take a penalty just forty seconds later. While Pittsburgh didn't score on it, San Jose lost some momentum from their game with that.
What the Sharks need to do is find a way to slow the Pens down in the crucial second game. Perhaps if Rust is unavailable that will make the task easier.
How about the two other goalies? Weren't both Marc-Andre Fleury and James Reimer once starters? I'm not sure if either of them will make any appearances (Save in lost causes) in the finals, given what we've seen from both Martin and Murray. Gotta be a little hard on them to be just riding the pine, when they could very well be in their in the thick of it. Another side-story.
In any event the first finals game of the Stanley Cup in 2016 was a classic, one-goal games. But to be fair, I expect a lot more from Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the second game. It's time for the big guns to raise their game!
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