Thursday night, the Penguins had the chance to clinch a major sport trophy at home for the first time since 1960. But, the San Jose Sharks scored three goals in the first period and escaped Game 5 with a 4-2 win to take the series back to San Jose for Game 6.
Penguins goaltender Matt Murray and the defense surrounding him struggled quite a bit in the beginning of the game — the Sharks got on the board with two redirected shots and a goal squeezed in by defenseman Brent Burns.
Martin Jones, San Jose’s netminder, played lights out in Game 5. Pittsburgh couldn’t get the puck past him on several fantastic opportunities to tie and even take the lead in this game, at one point dinging several shots in the same push off the post.
The Penguins generated a staggering 46 shots and created a lot of traffic and pressure around the net, but, unfortunately, Jones just stepped up his game to a new level and gave his team another chance to win the Cup.
Worries About Murray?
It didn’t take long after the end of the first period that the idea of replacing Murray with Marc-Andre Fluery was on the table. Not only would this have been a mistake, it would have wrecked the confidence Murray has built up thus far.
Two of the goals he allowed were very close, coming on redirected shots, so it’s hardly Murray’s fault that the Penguins dropped Game 5.
There’s no need to be concerned — yet. Murray has a history of recovering in games followed by a loss (he’s 5-0 in the postseason.) Instead, fans should be worried about all the Pittsburgh forwards who couldn’t finish their shots and get the puck in the net.
Shots Are Good, Goals Are Better
Jones gave Pittsburgh a run for its money. For as good as the Penguins offense is, the young goaltender stunned a full house in Consol Energy Center.
His ability to control the puck and freeze it quickly prevented the Penguins of generating any rhythm., and Pittsburgh was unable to consistently keep the puck moving forward. It was this inability to figure out how to get past Jones that sealed the Penguins’ fate.
Centermen and stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both came to play, but neither could do enough to grind out that desperately needed one more goal to tie the game before San Jose’s empty net goal. On more than one occasion the Penguins had the chance to bring the game back to their advantage; too many wasted opportunities led to the disappointing loss.
What’s Next
The Penguins played well and came up short. They got unlucky on several shots, and Jones played his best game yet — both prevented the city of Pittsburgh from celebrating its fourth Stanley Cup.
Both the Penguins and the Sharks will jump on flights back to San Jose for a game with higher stakes than Game 5. Regardless, the Penguins still have two more chances to be crowned champions. This loss wasn’t without effort; Pittsburgh will regroup.
Game 6 will take place Sunday at 8:00 p.m. EST at the SAP Center. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
Image credit: Keith Srakocic/AP Photo
