Sidney Crosby scored two goals, Matt Murray made 32 saves, and the Pittsburgh Penguins shutout the San Jose Sharks 5-0 at SAP Center on Saturday night.
The Sharks hosted “Hockey Fights Cancer” night presented by Cancer CAREpoint. The local nonprofit auctioned off the Sharks’ custom-made practice jerseys outside section 115.
Chris Kunitz converted a Sharks turnover by taking a pass from the left circle and sniping a wrist shot just below the crossbar for his first goal of the season, breaking a regular season drought of 20 games since March 26th. The Penguins got on the board 1-0 at 4:22 of the first period.
Sidney Crosby took a pass in the slot from Carl Hagelin and beat Sharks goalie Martin Jones with a backhand shot for his seventh goal of the season. The Penguins were up 2-0 with 1:32 left in the first.
The Sharks outshot the Penguins, 12-6, but trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Not enough checks are being finished and that’s the main reason why San Jose hasn’t been playing physical as of late.
Crosby swung his stick at a loose puck and deflected it past Jones for his second goal of the game, giving the Penguins a 3-0 lead just 13 seconds into the second period.
Jones was pulled after allowing his third goal of the game. Aaron Dell had to replace him.
Being pulled early in the second was a tough pill to swallow.
“You could probably look at any goal and see how you would play differently,” Jones said after the game. “But I don’t know, I was just playing the best I could at the time.”
Just 2:20 later, Eric Fehr buried a wrist shot top-shelf from the right circle off the pass from Matt Cullen, extending the Penguins’ lead to 4-0.
Nick Bonino scored his first goal of the season on a short-handed goal to extend the Penguins’ lead to 5-0 at 16:28.
Sharks’ defense was clearly unable to break through against the commanding Penguins offense. San Jose’s defensive pairs need to trust the low forward to do their job.
The Sharks had a 20-19 edge in shots, but the Penguins led 5-0 after 40 minutes.
Saturday should’ve been extra motivation for the Sharks, who were defeated by the Penguins last season. Instead, there were too many passengers, and San Jose failed to play like a team.
The Penguins shutout the Sharks 5-0 in a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
Murray made 32 saves in the victory. Jones made four saves before being replaced by backup goalie Aaron Dell, who made 16 saves.
Logan Couture said that the game was a letdown and the entire team was disappointed in the way that they played.
Head coach Peter DeBoer addressed a few things in his press conference tonight.
“I thought the play was even or in our favor,” DeBoer said. “The third goal was deflating for sure, but in this league, you gotta find a way and our response to that wasn’t what any of us wanted.”
“He (Sidney Crosby) is the best player in the world,” DeBoer said, laying on some sarcasm. “Who else can score two goals without shooting a puck into the net?”
DeBoer added: “We’re just worried about the next game.”
Up Next
The Sharks embark on a six-game road trip, starting with the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. EST.
