Series schedule
Game 1: Penguins 3, Sharks 2
Game 2: Penguins 2, Sharks 1 (OT)
Game 3: Saturday, June 4, Penguins @ Sharks, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Monday, June 6, Penguins @ Sharks, 5 p.m.
*Game 5: Thursday, June 9, Sharks @ Penguins, 5 p.m.
*Game 6: Sunday, June 12, Penguins @ Sharks, 5 p.m.
*Game 7: Wednesday, June 15, Sharks @ Penguins, 5 p.m.
*if necessary
Last game
Justin Braun’s late third period goal forced overtime, but the Penguins prevailed, 2-1, on Conor Sheary’s score just 2:35 into extra time to take both games at Consol Energy Center. Phil Kessel’s team-leading 10th goal held up as the only scoring before Braun’s wrist shot tied it with 4:05 to go in regulation. The Sharks dropped to 0-4 in the playoffs in overtime.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Melker Karlsson. Tomas Hertl’s absence means Karlsson could get a look as the top line left wing where he’s had some success in the past, particularly last season when he was named Sharks rookie of the year. Karlsson has had a disappointing sophomore season, and has just four points (3g, 1a) in 20 playoff games, but he’ll be counted on to help fill the sizable void left by Hertl, who is out with a lower body injury.
Penguins: Conor Sheary. The rookie was the hero on Wednesday in what was the Penguins’ first-ever home Stanley Cup Final game. He became the ninth Pittsburgh player to score a game-winning goal in the playoffs for the Penguins, a reflection of their forward depth, and has one goal in each of the first two games of the series while playing on the Sidney Crosby line.
Probable lines
Sharks
Melker Karlsson – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Matt Nieto – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward
Dainius Zubrus – Nick Spaling – Tommy Wingels
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon – Roman Polak
Martin Jones (starter)
James Reimer
Penguins
Conor Sheary – Sidney Crosby – Patric Hornqvist
Carl Hagelin – Nick Bonino – Phil Kessel
Chris Kunitz – Evgeni Malkin – Bryan Rust
Tom Kuhnhackl – Matt Cullen – Eric Fehr
Brian Dumoulin – Kris Letang
Olli Maatta – Ben Lovejoy
Ian Cole – Justin Schultz
Matt Murray (starter)
Marc-Andre Fleury
Playoff vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 3.30
Goals-against per game: 2.30
Power play: 27.3 percent
Penalty kill: 82.1 percent
Penguins
Goals per game: 3.15
Goals-against per game: 2.30
Power play: 21.7 percent
Penalty kill: 82.8 percent
Injuries
Sharks: Tomas Hertl (lower body) is out.
Penguins: Trevor Daley (broken ankle) is out.
Sharks playoff record when…
The Sharks are 0-10 all-time when trailing a series two-games-to-none. They are 3-9 all-time when trailing two-games-to-one, and 0-3 all-time when losing the first three games of a playoff series.
They are 21-13 all-time Game 3s, including 1-2 this season.
Facts and figures
*Teams that go up 2-0 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final are 44-5 all-time (90 percent).
*The Penguins have outshot their opponents in 11 straight playoff games, with an average differential of plus-11.7.
*Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton have a combined six shots and zero points through the first two games.
*The Sharks are 1-for-3 on the power play in the series, and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
*Penguins goalie Matt Murray has allowed just six total goals in his last four starts.
*Evgeni Malkin has just one goal in his last 14 games, although all four of his playoff goals have come on the road.
Quotable
“We’re a confident group still. I think our Game 2 was better than our Game 1, so we’re looking for Game 3 to be better than Game 2. But, we’re still a confident group. We know this series is far from over.” – Joe Thornton
