Penguins control the tempo in game 4, push Sharks to the brink

Infographic and photo by Kavin Mistry

In their first Stanley Cup Final in team history, the San Jose Sharks are now being pushed to the brink of elimination at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins after a disappointing 3-1 loss at home Monday.

The Sharks are now left searching for answers as they have yet to take a lead in any game in this series beyond their 3-2 overtime win (only lead coming when scoring the final goal).

“We are going to throw out and throw everything we possibly can at them,” said Sharks forward Logan Couture in a postgame interview. “We have to win a hockey game.”

Infographic by Kavin Mistry

The game began like all three previously, the Penguins got off to a fast start and jumped on the board in the first period off a tough break for Sharks goalie Martin Jones. After the shot bounced off of Jones, Penguins forward Ian Cole buried the one timer over Jones’ shoulder.

“We have been chasing the game the whole series by not scoring first,” said Sharks head coach Peter Deboer in a postgame interview. “So that takes you out of your four line rhythm and affects all parts of your game.”

This held true as DeBoer was forced to shuffle his lines halfway through the second period when the Sharks were desperate to find the back of the net.

“We haven’t played at our best yet,” said Sharks defensman Paul Martin in a postgame interview. “Everyone has another level that we can rely on and we can get to it.”

The Penguins struck again in the beginning of the second period, capitalizing on a bad penalty taken by Sharks forward Melker Karlsson. Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin tipped the shot passed Jones.

“It makes it tougher,” said Sharks captain Joe Pavelski in a postgame interview. “They have played well with the lead so far, (...) but all playoffs when we had the lead we know what that felt like so you can take confidence from it.”

The Sharks came faster in the third period, spending a lot of time in the Penguins zone and peppering Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray with shots. Finally the Sharks got on the scoreboard when Karlsson drilled a wrist shot past Murray with 11:53 left in the third.

“Tonight was a little better, we shot the puck a little bit more,” Pavelski said. “Guys made some plays and got some looks, we will find a way.”

The Penguins defense however did not waver, they stood tall to the task of not allowing the Sharks to get anymore solid offensive zone time and Murray shut the door. Penguins forward Eric Fehr added the final dagger in the Sharks night with a rocket of a shot past Jones with just over two minutes left in the third.

“We had enough chances to tie it up and obviously that goal there late by them was a tough one to give up,” Couture said. “We have to move past it, there are things in games that are going to frustrate you, but you have to move on quickly.”

The Sharks now find themselves on the brink of being knocked out in their first Stanley Cup Finals and face the tall task of needed to win all the remaining three games.

“We just have to stay positive,” Martin said. “We have a lot of leadership in this room and character guys that have been through alot and we believe in the group we have in here.”

Game five will be in Pittsburgh on Thursday and the players said they will be ready and they know what they need to do.

“Our game plan is simple now, we got to win,” said Sharks forward Nick Spaling in a postgame interview. “That is our focus, we are going to go in there and we got to get a win.”