Pittsburgh Penguins
After a tough loss on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins have another chance to put themselves on top of the NHL with a Game 6 win over the San Jose Sharks.
And while they’ve played well in the series, there are a couple of areas where the team needs to tighten up. Penguins goaltender Matt Murray needs to play better in net and prevent soft goals from getting past him (he gave up a couple in that crucial Game 5 in Pittsburgh.)
Pittsburgh also needs to do a better job of clogging up the lanes. Two of the Sharks’ four goals in Game 5 squeaked past Murray because of a late deflection. Creating traffic and blocking shots from the point is an area that must be improved up, especially because the Sharks will certainly look to exploit this weakness again.
Luckily, Pittsburgh has very talented defensemen, especially star Kris Letang. Of Letang, head coach Mike Sullivan said, “Tanger is invaluable. He plays so many important minutes for us. He’s an elite defenseman. He’s one of the top D-men in the league.”
San Jose Sharks
Back on home ice at the SAP Center, the Sharks have a chance to completely turn this series upside down after being down 3-1 and already staving off one elimination game. With the momentum beginning to swing in the Sharks’ direction, a Game 6 home win means an even-better chance to potentially complete a miracle comeback.
Pittsburgh had over 40 shots in Game 5, but Sharks goaltender Martin Jones proved to be an impenetrable wall, frustrating Penguins players who had some great shots. Jones’ athleticism and natural instincts made him a hero in San Jose.
In their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup finals, the Sharks are looking to force a Game 7 and take the series back to Pittsburgh. San Jose’s stars Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture all played well in Game 5, and the Penguins must slow them down if they want to walk out of San Jose with a win. The Sharks will once again be without forward Tomas Hertl, who has missed most of the series with a lower-body injury.
Prediction
While the Sharks are confident in their chances to force one more game, the Penguins have been the better team in this series and will continue to be in Game 6. Jones had a once-in-a-lifetime Game 5 for San Jose, and it’s highly unlikely he can play as lights-out as he did then.
The Penguins’ stars, especially Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel will step up big time and will take an early and insurmountable lead.
Penguins will win, 3-1 — and will win the Stanley Cup.
Where: SAP Center, San Jose, CA
When: Sunday, June 12 @ 8:00 p.m. EST
Watch: NBC, CBC, TVA
Image credit: Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
