The San Jose Sharks have life in the Stanley Cup Final after besting the Penguins by a score of 3-2 in overtime. Though the Sharks are still down in the series, a 2-1 deficit is much more manageable than facing the task of winning four straight to hoist the Cup. San Jose looked more in control in Game 3 and finally seemed to play their game instead of allowing the Penguins to dominate.
2016 Stanley Cup Final: 3 things we learned from the Sharks in Game 3
San Jose has made it a series after taking their first game at home by a score of 3-2 in overtime.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Here are three things we learned as the Sharks look to turn the tide of the Stanley Cup Final.
1. The Sharks finally established an effective forecheck of their own
Against a team like the Penguins, who block shots like there’s no tomorrow, establishing a cycle game is a tough business. The Sharks really excel when they get the puck moving, and the back half of the first period was a textbook example of what San Jose can do if given time and space to set up.
Many of the Sharks’ chances were blocked in that period, but the final 10 minutes of the first was the deadliest San Jose had looked all series up until that point.
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2. San Jose adjusted better to Pittsburgh’s defense
The shot disparity between the Penguins and their opponents have been widely publicized over the last two rounds. Though they continue to block a lot of shots, the Sharks looked to have a game plan that created more high-quality chances. San Jose had better looks when they kept the puck down low around the cage, and were able to win the game on a chance that started from behind the net.
Donskoi OT winner pic.twitter.com/lQ47Nq45Qr
— Stephanie (@myregularface) June 5, 2016
3. The Sharks now have done something only one other team has done to Pittsburgh since January
The Penguins are no doubt one of the best teams when leading after two periods. They had a perfect record before last round, until the Lightning beat them in Game 5. Now the Sharks join that train, as a third period goal from Joel Ward and the overtime winner from Joonas Donskoi gave the Penguins just their second loss when leading heading into the third period.
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Nick Bonino’s amazing goal to win Game 1
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