The two month journey of chaos is over. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the last ones standing, defeating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win their fourth Stanley Cup title in franchise history (yet again on the road). While the Steel City celebrates its first professional sports championship since the Penguins last won it in 2009, San Jose is yet again singing the all too familiar tune of playoff heartbreak after reaching their first final ever. So let’s dive in and see why the series resulted in the way it did.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2016 Stanley Cup
A. Attacking right out of the gate – Pittsburgh scored the first goal of the game in all of the contests except game five, and even then they were able to knot up that contest within less than five minutes. The Penguins were only held scoreless in the first period once the entire series, and never trailed at any point in the series until game five, the only game in which they faced any deficit at all other than losing in overtime in game three. To say the least, it never hurts knowing that you can potentially win with only a single goal under your belt. And with Matt Murray in net, maintaining leads was not a problem. Advantage Pittsburgh.
B. Rookies shined – Pittsburgh made a mockery of playoff experience in this series. Rookie goaltender Matt Murray was sensational in the series, holding San Jose to only one goal three different times and never surrendering more than three in any contest (sorry Sharks fans, empty netters don’t count). Murray was not the only rookie who shined however. Winger Conor Sheary recorded two goals within the first two games of the series, including the overtime winner in game two which helped Pittsburgh avoid heading back to San Jose tied with the Sharks at one game apiece. Without the performances of these two, I’m not sure Pittsburgh would have won the cup in six games.
C. Rapid fire on the goal – The Penguins out shot the Sharks in every contest this series, and the fact that San Jose could survive all the way to game six is a testament of Martin Jones’ newfound brilliance in net. Pittsburgh put over 40 shots on net four times in the series, and only one of those games resulted in a multiple-goal victory for the Penguins (two were losses). It’s safe to say that when you can consistently produce that many scoring chances, you’re going to walk away the series winner, even in a game as flukey as hockey.
Why the San Jose Sharks fell short
A. Consistently playing from behind – Statistics show that the team who scores first in a hockey game has a much higher chance of winning a contest, and the Sharks learned that the hard way in this match-up. The Sharks never led in the series at any point until game five, and that would be the only game that they would lead in. San Jose found ways to let opportunity slip away rather easily too. The Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes of game five only to see it vanish in a 22 second span about two minutes after their second goal of the game. Then in game six, San Jose allowed the game winning/cup winning goal within less than two minutes of tying the contest and getting momentum back on their side. Playing the catch-up game 80 percent of the time can never sustain itself in a playoff series, and it held true for San Jose in this one.
B. Joe Pavelski couldn’t be found – The San Jose captain who scored a Sharks’ record 13 goals over the first three rounds had his worst showing of the playoffs at the wrong time. Pavelski’s only goal of the series was an empty netter in a game five win, and by that point San Jose was already facing a formidable deficit in the series, needing to win three straight to hoist the cup. Pavelski finished the series with zero assists and a minus 4 rating. His minus two rating in game six alone was eye opening considering he had not finished worse than minus 1 in an entire series this spring until last night.
C. Missed chances/unforced errors – San Jose hit the post three times in the third period during game two’s overtime loss. The squad was consistently sloppy in their own zone during games four and six at home, whiffing on a prime opportunity to tie the game at two apiece during the third period of the latter. And a bad penalty on Brian Dumoulin during the first period of game six resulted in a power play goal scored by Dumoulin himself that got Pittsburgh rolling for good until they were celebrating in a mosh-pit at the final buzzer. To win the cup, you simply have to be the best, and the Sharks did not fit that description in the Stanley Cup Final.
Well hockey fans, that’s a wrap. A new champion has been crowned, and now the long wait for October begins. Congrats to both teams for an incredible series, and an even bigger congrats to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins for taking home yet another title to the Steel City.