So the Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to take a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday. Instead, they blew a 2-1 lead in the third period and fell to the San Jose Sharks in overtime in Game 3.
2016 Stanley Cup Final: 3 things we learned from the Penguins in Game 3
Blocked shots? Check. Ability to hold a lead? Well ...
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San Jose can now even the series at 2-2 with a win in Game 4. So, things didn't exactly go to plan for the Penguins. Obviously. Let's figure out what went right and what went wrong for them in Game 3.
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3 things we learned about the Penguins
1. Pittsburgh were blocking shots left and right
Pittsburgh had to know the Sharks would come out of the gate flying in their first home Stanley Cup Final game ever. San Jose's offense looked reinvigorated throughout, but the Penguins excelled at keeping their production from having any effect. The Penguins blocked 33 shots in regulation, and ten of those were from Brent Burns alone. If Matt Murray seemed untested compared to his counterpart, that's why. That commitment to shot neutralization of the Sharks' defensemen was a huge factor for Pittsburgh in Game 3.
2. They couldn’t beat the Sharks at the theme of the game
And that theme was ...
I just wanted an excuse to use that GIF.
From the third period on, the Penguins had the Sharks on the ropes. They outshot San Jose 22-11 in the third and overtime and managed to break ahead and out of the possession grapple that had dominated most of the game. And their chances in overtime seemed more threatening than San Jose’s just based on how deeply they penetrated into San Jose’s zone. (There’s no real way to quantify that, but just bear with me.) You got the feeling that even after Ward’s game-tying goal, it was still Pittsburgh’s game to lose.
But San Jose hung in there, managing to survive and overcome their early mistakes where Pittsburgh couldn’t survive their late ones. This is the 13th Stanley Cup Final game out of the last 15 to be decided by one goal. When that’s the case, someone is hanging on for dear life. San Jose just did it better in this one.
3. They still don’t know how to shut down Joel Ward late
To be fair, nobody has in the playoffs:
4 of Joel Ward's 7 goals in the 2016 playoffs have come in the 3rd period. 3 of 7 have either tied the game or given the Sharks the lead.
— Darin Stephens (@SharksStats) June 5, 2016
And Ward’s game-tying goal in the third period should’ve been stopped by Murray. It was a clear-as-day slap shot from the top of the circles with no screen and no deflection.
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Nick Bonino’s amazing goal to win Game 1
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