The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009 on Monday, and they'll take the result despite some bumps along the way. Two rookies and Nick Bonino scored in the 3-2 win in Game 1, but Sidney Crosby shined the brightest of any player on the ice. Before we close the book and move on to Game 2, let's take a look at what lessons we learned from the Penguins in Game 1.
2016 Stanley Cup Final: 3 things we learned from the Penguins in Game 1
Including: Sidney Crosby is good!
Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports
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3 things we learned about the Penguins
1. Sidney Crosby is going to be a menace for the Sharks to deal with.
I mean, look at this.
And this.
Crosby to Hornqvist, Jones save pic.twitter.com/H5IGZKBryb
— Stephanie (@myregularface) May 31, 2016
He's even drawing up plays!
i'm the coach pic.twitter.com/ee6AF3FTei
— Stephanie (@myregularface) May 31, 2016
Crosby was the best player on the ice in Game 1, and it never seemed like San Jose had an answer for him.
2. Pittsburgh adjusted to San Jose’s adjustments
San Jose looked lifeless in the first period. Almost like they hadn’t played in a whole week! Pittsburgh out-attempted San Jose in shots, 27-14 in the first period. It was so lopsided that jokes like this started rolling out.
And the Sharks have still not appeared in a Stanley Cup Final.
— Jack A. Wilson (@JACKaWILSON) May 31, 2016
But the Sharks flipped the narrative in the second period, out-attempting the Penguins 26-13 before tying the game. The tide had turned, but it stopped there. Look at the possession chart below:
By the end of the game, the Penguins had returned to their dominant ways of the first period. And they won.
3. Pittsburgh’s rookies keep producing
Once again, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary made impacts early with goals. Rust, as he has all playoffs, was simply in the right place at the right time. And as good as Crosby's pass above was, Sheary's finish was better. Depth keeps carrying the Penguins onward.
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