Matt Murray was solid in Game 2 win – file photo by Brianna O’Mara
PITTSBURGH, Pa – Face-offs are one of the most underrated parts of a hockey game but it is surely one of the most important. In Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals the San Jose Sharks found out just how important they are especially when Sidney Crosby takes them. Crosby won a face-off and Conor Sheary fired a shot past Sharks goaltender Martin Jones for the game winner 2:35 into overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins won Game Two 2-1 of the Stanley Cup finals and are now up 2-0 as the series heads out west for the first time in Sharks history.
After some sloppy play in the first period and second periods that kept the game scoreless, at the 8:20 mark of the second Carl Hagelin stole the puck away from a Sharks defenseman and fed the puck to Phil Kessel who sent it to Bryan Rust on the left wing and took a shot that was partially saved by Jones but as the puck slipped by him and Kessel was all alone in front to tap it home for a 1-0 lead.
It looked like the Penguins would win by the same score but as in Game One the Sharks tied the game from a point shot from Justin Brown after Logan Couture won a puck battle behind the Penguins net and picked off the puck along the right wing boards and fired a shot part Matt Murray for a 1-1 tie with 4:05 left in the third period.
Oddly enough Crosby has won 51.7 percent if his face-offs during the playoffs and during the regular season as well. None might have been sweeter as he won the face-off over to Kris Letang who dished it down low to Sheary who quickly fired his shot up high for the game winner. During the game Pittsburgh won 55 percent of their face-offs.
The Penguins outshot the Sharks 30-22 but San Jose outhit and had more blocked shots then the Pens. Game Three of the series is Saturday night and Game Four is on Monday the 6th. Tonight’s win tied a Penguins franchise record for home wins in the playoffs with nine.
After the game Sharks Head Coach Peter Deboer sounded didn’t sound too concerned about how the series is going despite being down a 2-0 hole in the series.
“Game 1 was decided in the last two minutes. Tonight is an overtime game. I think we’ll hold off on the funeral. We have a lot of hockey left to play.”
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