Penguins take commanding 3-1 Stanley Cup Final lead after Game 4 win over Sharks
SAN JOSE — Breaking down the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at SAP Center on Monday night.
What happened: The Penguins moved one game closer to their first Stanley Cup title since 2009 and fourth overall in franchise history. The win gave the Pens a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.
Eric Fehr scored with 2:02 left in regulation to put the Penguins up by two goals and seal the victory, the first game of the series that was deiced by more than one goal. It was Fehr’s third goal of the playoffs and first in the final.
The Sharks made it a game with 12 minutes left in regulation as Melker Karlsson broke through and finally beat Penguins goalie Matt Murray. Karlsson, flanked by Pens captain Sidney Crosby much of the shift, kept the puck in the zone, which, eventually allowed Karlsson to score after an attempt by Chris Tierney was blocked.
Evgeni Malkin ended the Pens’ power play drought in the series on the redirection of a Phil Kessel shot that put the Pens up 2-0 less than three minutes into the second period. (Karlsson was called for interference to create the extra-man chance for the Pens.) Pittsburgh hadn’t scored in its previous seven power plays in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Pens grabbed the first-period lead for the fourth consecutive time in the series. Outside the Game 3 overtime loss, the Pens have yet to trail in the series.
"We've been chasing the game the whole series by not scoring first," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "It affects all parts of your game. We've been on the other end of that in the playoffs where we've jumped out to the lead on some teams and made them change their game. That's the biggest thing we have to fix."
The scoring opportunity was created on a tough-angle shot by Kessel that Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped. The rebound, however, slid over to Pens defenseman Ian Cole, who lifted the puck into the net 7:36 into regulation. It was Cole’s first goal of the playoffs. Kessel's two assists bumped him up to a team-high 21 postseason points.
What the Penguins did well: The Pens blocked a playoff franchise-high 38 shots in Game 3 and did an even better job in limiting the chances for the Sharks, at least early.
The Pens kept the Sharks to 12 shots through the first two periods, killing off a first-period penalty after Ben Lovejoy went to the box for holding the stick. The Sharks only had intermittent zone time for long stretches.
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That meant Murray didn’t see a lot of action, but he responded when needed and didn't falter as the Sharks mounted a charge in the closing minutes.
Murray’s biggest stop was arguably a save he shrugged off from the stick of Sharks forward Logan Courture with five minutes left in the second period. Murray also stopped Patrick Marleau on a mini breakaway five minutes into the third period.
Altogether, this was a bounce-back game for Murray. He admitted between games that he should have stopped a couple more shots as the Sharks prevailed, 3-2, in overtime in Game 3. Murray finished with 23 saves.
Murray, who now has 14 wins in these playoffs, can tie the rookie goalie record for wins if he can close out there series.
"I think it goes to show you can never predict what can happen," said Murray, who took over in net after starter Marc-Andre Fleury was injured late in the season. "My mindset this whole time is to stay in the moment. I think that's been working for me. I'm trying to have fun through all this and it's been an absolute blast so far."
What the Sharks did well: Inviting Metallica guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett to perform the national anthem.
Harsh? Yes. But for the first two and a half periods, the Sharks didn’t seem to have much bounce. The Sharks, for example, didn't get a shot on net for the first 9:21 of the second period.
That changed after Karlsson’s fourth goal of the playoffs midway through the third. The Shark Tank had some life before Fehr scored to dim the Sharks’ hopes for their first Stanley Cup title in team history.
"It's never fun to see fans leaving and not excited," Couture said. "You feel like you've let them down. We are proud of the fan base here. I hope they are proud of us."
Only one team in Stanley Cup Final history (the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs) came back from a 3-1 deficit.
"There's no quit in our group," DeBoer said. "We've been the best road team in the league. We're going to show up and try to get this back here for Game 6. Until you win four, this isn't over."
What’s next: There’s an extra day off before the series resumes in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
