Stanley Cup preview: Why Pens will win
Nationally, the Stanley Cup Final pitting San Jose against Pittsburgh that begins at 7 p.m. Monday may not be a matchup that attracts a ton of attention - but it should be an awfully entertaining series to watch.
The San Jose Sharks, playing in their first Final in franchise history, bring a ton of size as nine players are listed at 210-plus pounds compared to just two for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
San Jose's physical style wears down opponents and opens up scoring chances for an awfully talented group. Joe Pavelski, the team's 31-year-old captain, put together a 38-goal regular season and has continued his brilliance in the postseason, leading all players with 13 goals. With 2 more he would be just the second player since 1997 to score 15 goals in one postseason. The last player to do that is on the other team: Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins, a speedy team with tons of offensive firepower, have been a resilient bunch in the playoffs. They dropped Game 2 at home in the opening round, then rattled off 3 straight wins. They lost Game 1 to Washington, then won four of five. Finally, they stormed back from a 3-2 series deficit to Tampa Bay.
Goalie Matt Murray has been the big story In Pittsburgh, going 11-4. The 22-year-old, who took over when Marc Andre-Fleury suffered a concussion late in the season, was actually benched for Game 5 vs. the Lightning. Andre-Fleury lost that game, though, and Murray was reinserted in Games 6 and 7 and won them both by stopping 44 of 47 shots.
Offensively, Crosby has been the big name in Pittsburgh for years, but it's Phil Kessel who leads the team in scoring in the playoffs. Kessel, who came over from Toronto last off-season and will be playing in his first Final, has 6 goals in the last eight games. "It is really tough to get here," he told reporters. "And we're here, so hopefully we can make the best of it."
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Prediction: Pittsburgh will certainly miss defenseman Trevor Daley, who broke his ankle in Game 4 of the conference finals, and it is relying on a goaltender with just 28 games of NHL experience. Still, the Penguins' skill and speed will win out. Pittsburgh in 6.
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Sharks playoff leaders: Logan Couture (8-16-24); Joe Pavelski (13-9-22); Brent Burns (6-14-20)
Other top goal-scorers: Joel Ward (6), Tomas Hertl (5), Joonas Donskoi (5), Chris Tierney (5)
Goalie: Martin Jones (.919 save percentage; 2.12 GAA).
How they got here: Sharks defeated Kings in 5, Predators in 7 and Blues in 6.
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Penguins playoff leaders: Phil Kessel (9-9-18); Evgeni Malkin (4-11-15); Sidney Crosby (6-9-15); Nick Bonino (3-12-15)
Other top goal-scorers: Patric Hornqvist (7), Carl Hagelin (5), Bryan Rust (5).
Goalie: Matt Murray (.924 save percentage; 2.21 GAA)
How they got here: Penguins defeated Rangers in 5, Capitals in 6 and Lightning in 7.