http://triblive.com/sports/
June 5, 2016
Pittsburgh Penguins Matthew Murray (30) stops a shot by San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi (27) in the second period as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the San Jose Sharks in game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, June 4, 2016. (sfbay.ca/)
SAN JOSE, Calif.
Giveaways have a way of hurting even the best hockey teams.
In a Stanley Cup Final they were controlling, the Penguins just gave away a game that could hurt their quest to become hockey's best team.
And a giveaway is the only way to view their 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday night.
Which is not to suggest the Sharks were undeserving victors. Far from it, actually.
In fact, winger Joonas Donskoi's goal about 12 minutes into overtime felt anticlimactic. Felt inevitable, anyway.
Once the Sharks pulled even in the third period, Game 3 seemed sure to go their way.
Hockey works that way.
It's why the Penguins need to play sharper, smarter and more fundamentally sound hockey here Monday night. Up 2-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, they are still in prime position to make short work of winning the Cup.
But giving away a 2-0 series lead would give a lot of people good reason to worry that hockey's best team is the one that calls its home a “Shark Tank.”
Now look, the Sharks are a really good club.
They're well coached. They possess proud veterans who — like the Penguins' best players — are trying to exorcise some ghoulish postseason demons. Also, the Sharks may just have something the Penguins had to overcome in the Eastern Conference finals.
That would be a goalie performing at a higher level.
The battle of goalies not with their clubs a year ago is being won by Martin Jones. In Game 3, he turned aside 40 shots, including 26 of 27 shots in the first and third periods.
His rookie counterpart, the Penguins' Matt Murray, was nowhere near Jones' excellence. He finished with only 23 saves in the loss, and for the Final has allowed six goals on 74 shots.
A .919 save percentage from Murray might be enough for the Penguins to finish off the Sharks. But only might.
The Penguins are doing awfully well by Murray, having all but closed off the Sharks' shooting lanes. They blocked 38 shots in Game 3.
Coach Mike Sullivan said Murray — clearly his preferred goalie — “made some big saves” and “gave us a chance to win.” And were he speaking on the postseason as a whole, Sullivan would be telling the truth.
When it comes to Game 3, however, Murray didn't make a couple of leads hold up. Sure, those leads were 1-0 and 2-1, but they were leads nonetheless.
When clubs are as close in talent and intent as are the Penguins and Sharks, leads must be held. Already, the Penguins have given up a couple late. They were fortunate to win one of those games.
They won't win many more like that.
Murray needed to make the stop on winger Joel Ward's slap shot that evened Game 3. It was a shot that cannot get past the goalie of a championship squad.
If the Penguins are to become that squad, Murray has to be their goalie. Sullivan already played his Flower card. Barring an injury to Murray, it wouldn't be just to turn to former starter Marc-Andre Fleury now.
It would be wise for the Penguins' best players to be better in critical situations.
Sloppy stick work by center Nick Bonino provided the Sharks four minutes of power-play time with the Penguins clinging to a one-goal lead in the third period. The penalty kill bailed him out… until one of many regrettable decisions by defenseman Kris Letang led to Ward's scoring chance.
Letang knows better than to chase a scoring chance (so, too, does captain Sidney Crosby) at the end of a long penalty kill. Dumping the puck made sense at what would have been the most inspired kill of an inspiring season.
But Letang has made a Conn Smythe-run by going for it.
He went for it, and that risk went against the Penguins.
The series might follow suit unless center Evgeni Malkin can figure out how to score a goal. He hasn't marked since Game 4 of the East finals, and his first of only two shots wasn't recorded until eight minutes were left in regulation in Game 3.
Malkin can do more.
Letang can play better.
Murray can at least match Jones' performance.
The Penguins can still fatally hook the Sharks on Monday night.
But if they don't, this tight Final will feel like the loss in Game 3 — like it was given away.
Rob Rossi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at rrossi@tribweb.com or via Twitter@RobRossi_Trib.
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