On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to eliminate the San Jose Sharks and win a Stanley Cup on home ice in front of the partisans who have cheered them on over the course of the 2016 playoffs.
They failed.
That, though, is the nice thing about having previously earned a 3-1 lead in the series. The Penguins have another kick at the can on Sunday. If they can’t get the job done then, they get yet another shot next Wednesday. They only need to win one of those games.
Given how thoroughly the Pens have dominated the Sharks in the Final, there’s no question that the smart money is on Pittsburgh to hoist the Cup.
Indeed, in a lot of ways, even the Game 5 loss favoured Pittsburgh. The shot clock was 46-22 in favour of the home side, while the ratio of shot attempts for and against was almost identical (76-36). In every period of the game, the Penguins outshot the Sharks 2-1. San Jose goaltender Martin Jones was spectacular, outplaying counterpart Matt Murray, but otherwise there was little in the Sharks' performance that was remarkable.
Curtis Pashelka’s art ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Game 5 Loss Doesn’t Change Fact That Penguins Are Still Dominating Sharks
June 11th, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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