San Jose Sharks Look To Force A Game Seven

San Jose improved to 2-0 in elimination contests and will look to send this series back to Pittsburgh for a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday night.

Fresh off an outstanding performance in Game 5, Martin Jones and the rest of his San Jose Sharks teammates return home looking to continue their Stanley Cup dream.

Standing in their way are the Pittsburgh Penguins who will have their second chance to clinch the Cup after failing to do so on home ice.

In many ways, San Jose was fortunate enough to escape Pittsburgh after the Penguins peppered Jones with 46 shots, but the team teal netminder stood strong as the Sharks lived to see another day.

San Jose will look to take advantage of their newfound life and use their home crowd to help them force a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. Team teal is 8-3 during these playoffs on home ice and want their dominant play at the Shark Tank to continue for one more game.

It should be a fascinating contest to watch as the Sharks hope to stave off elimination once again.

Players to Watch

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Sharks: Logan Couture. After being held to just two points through the first four games, Couture busted out with a three-point performance in the opening 20 minutes of Game 5. His beautiful deflection doubled team teal’s lead, while his perfect, backhand pass to Melker Karlsson set up the game-winner. In San Jose’s biggest games of the year, Couture has stepped up with 12 points in four potential close-out contests. The Sharks are hoping another big effort is in store from Cooch who leads all playoff scorers with 29 points.

Penguins: Matt Murray. Murray struggled in the early going of Game 5, allowing three goals in the opening frame. The first and third goals were both of the questionable variety as he’s had his moments where he’s fought the puck, especially on his glove hand side. Despite his shaky performances, Murray has made a habit of bouncing back after a loss as he’s 5-0 in these playoffs with a 1.76 GAA and a .935 save percentage. San Jose will look to reverse that trend tonight.

Keys to the Game

1. Keep The Crowd Involved

The Sharks were able to get off to a quick start in Game 5, scoring twice in the first three minutes of the contest. Scoring first is part of the recipe for success for this San Jose team, especially on home ice where the home crowd will look for any moment to erupt.

Team teal has to keep their home fans engaged from the onset as their energy should help give the Sharks an extra boost. Keep the Penguins on their heels, establish your game and feed off the crowd.

2. Stay Out Of The Box

After being rock solid through the first three games, San Jose’s penalty kill has been under siege the past two games. Pittsburgh’s power-play attack has certainly grown in confidence and they were very dangerous last game.

They’ve now scored in two-straight contests, both from Evgeni Malkin, and could have easily scored twice in Game 5 as they hit multiple posts with the man advantage. The Sharks have to be more disciplined and can’t give the Penguins any chances.

Things changed very quickly in Game 5 when Pittsburgh was able to capitalize after team teal scored the two early goals, and they took over the game from there. Staying out of the box will be critical for San Jose tonight.

Next: Sharks X-Factors For Game Six

3. Get The Job Done

Similar to Game 5, it doesn’t matter how it happens, just find a way to win. The Sharks have been at their best during this postseason run with their backs against the wall, and they’ve answered the bell every time.

Tonight should be no different as San Jose wants to send this series back to Pittsburgh, where all the pressure will be on the home team’s shoulders. The Sharks will be backed by a raucous crowd, and in the words of Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders, just win baby.