San Jose Sharks: Top Five Moments From Stanley Cup Run
Throughout the past two weeks, we’ve been counting down the Top 10 moments from the San Jose Sharks run to the Stanley Cup Final. It certainly was a historic achievement from team teal as their 25th anniversary season was their best in franchise history. While the Sharks fell short of their ultimate goal, they provided plenty of memories along the way for thousands of teal clad fans. With that in mind, let’s finish the countdown with the Top 5 moments from the postseason for San Jose.
5. Sharks Dispatch Kings In Five Games
After hanging on in Game 4, San Jose looked to finish off the Kings in Los Angeles. Team teal got off to a great start as Joonas Donskoi fired the Sharks into the lead more than a minute into the contest, and Chris Tierney would double San Jose’s lead midway through the opening 20 minutes.
When Matt Nieto scored early in the second period, the Sharks appeared to be on cruise control. However, the Kings would storm back and score three consecutive goals in the middle frame to leave things deadlocked heading into the third period.
But San Jose came out and established themselves once again in the final 20 minutes of play. Donskoi would score his second of the night to give the Sharks the lead for good, and Joe Pavelski would provide the insurance marker with around seven minutes remaining as team teal would get their revenge on their rivals, dispatching L.A. by a 6-3 final in Game 5 to take the series and begin their playoff quest on the right foot.
It was a huge stepping stone for this group to really dominate the Kings in the first round and put to bed all the questions surrounding their collapse in 2014. This series really set the stage for the upcoming playoff run the Sharks went on.
4. San Jose Overwhelms Nashville In Game 7
After holding a pair of leads in Game 6 before falling in crushing fashion in overtime, team teal returned home with all the pressure in a winner take all Game 7.
However, this game was over before it started as the Sharks simply outclassed the Predators in every aspect. Once again, Joe Pavelski got the home team off on the right foot hammering home a power-play tally to give team teal the early lead.
San Jose would continue to pour on the pressure, outshooting Nashville by a 17-3 margin in the opening 20 minutes. Joel Ward would double the Sharks advantage with just over three minutes remaining as the Predators had no answers.
When Logan Couture scored 36 seconds into the second period, the rout was officially on. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau would each score within the first four minutes of the final frame as the Sharks delivered the knockout blow. Martin Jones was steady between the pipes, recording his first career playoff shutout as San Jose would roll to their fourth trip to the conference finals in franchise history.
3. Jones’ Unbelievable Performance Keeps Sharks Alive
San Jose found themselves on the brink of elimination as all of Pittsburgh was ready for a celebration. Team teal would get off to the perfect start as Brent Burns and Logan Couture would score within the first 2:53 of the contest as the Sharks had their first lead of the Stanley Cup Final.
However, a Dainius Zubrus penalty would give the home team the momentum as Evgeni Malkin would capitalize off a fortunate bounce before Carl Hagelin scored 22 seconds later. Just like that, the Penguins were buzzing and the building was going crazy as the Sharks lead evaporated in more than two minutes.
Fortunately, San Jose was able to regroup and answer back when Melker Karlsson would give team teal the lead back with his fifth goal of the playoffs. From that moment on, it was all on the shoulders of Martin Jones who slammed the door shut.
Pittsburgh would come after the visitors in waves, outshooting the Sharks in every period including by a 17-8 margin in the second. Jones would come up with highlight-reel saves, including absolute robbery of Nick Bonino when he had an open net.
Jones would finish the night with a remarkable 44 saves as he single-handedly kept San Jose’s Stanley Cup aspirations alive as it was one of the greatest goaltending performances in Sharks history. While team teal would ultimately fall short, Jones certainly wasn’t at fault after he posted a .932 save percentage during the Cup Finals.
2. Sharks Advance To Stanley Cup Final For First Time
After a thrilling victory in Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues, San Jose returned home to a frenzied atmosphere inside the Shark Tank as team teal looked to clinch a berth in their first-ever Stanley Cup Final.
Who else but Joe Pavelski got the party started at the 3:57 mark of the opening frame when he corralled the puck behind the net and stuffed it in behind Brian Elliott to give the Sharks the 1-0 lead. That goal kept the home fans riled up as there was a palpable buzz all game long.
After holding a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, big game Joel Ward would double the San Jose lead, tipping home a Brent Burns shot from the point to continue the Shark assault. While St. Louis came with a push at the end of the second, Martin Jones was able to stand tall including robbing Jori Lehtera on the doorstep.
Then, team teal would go for the knockout blow early in the third period. Logan Couture set up Ward with a beautiful pass for his second of the night at the 3:01 mark, and five minutes later, Couture, Patrick Marleau and Joonas Donskoi executed a perfect 3-on-2 that led to Donskoi’s fifth of the playoffs to give San Jose a 4-0 lead.
From that moment on, the party was officially on as Sharks fans everywhere were dreaming of the ultimate prize which always seemed elusive.
A pair of Vladimir Tarasenko goals late in the third period made things interesting, but when Couture found the empty net with 20 seconds left, it was clear that San Jose was heading to the Stanley Cup Final.
It was a truly memorable night for Sharks nation which had waited 25 years for this opportunity.
1. Joonas Donskoi Plays Overtime Hero
San Jose returned home to host their first-ever Stanley Cup finals contest, but it wasn’t in ideal circumstances. The Sharks found themselves trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins by two games to none after dropping a pair of one-goal games in Pittsburgh.
Luckily for team teal, they were welcomed by a raucous crowd inside SAP Center who were ready to will their team to victory.
Once again, it was the Penguins who struck first when Ben Lovejoy’s shot from the point deflected past Martin Jones five-and-a-half minutes into the opening frame. However, the Sharks would answer back about four minutes later when Justin Braun’s wrist shot from the point found its way into the back of the net past a screened Matt Murray as the tilt was tied up at one apiece after the first.
Each team would trade chances in the middle period, but yet again, it was Pittsburgh who would emerge with the lead when Patric Hornqvist tipped one home with 53 seconds remaining as San Jose found themselves in desperation mode.
Things weren’t looking good in the third when the Sharks failed to capitalize on a four-minute power play, but just as it expired, Joel Ward would blast one through Murray to tie the game with more than 11 minutes remaining. It was a huge moment as it brought the building back to life.
With things knotted up after 60 minutes, the two teams would head to overtime for the second-straight game. It was a fast-paced overtime session with each team generating quality looks.
This time it was the Sharks who would find the breakthrough when Joonas Donskoi took the puck from behind the net before wheeling and firing one top shelf on Murray to give San Jose a 3-2 victory.
It was a monumental goal from Donskoi as the Shark Tank exploded in elation. Team teal was right back in the thick of the Stanley Cup Final, and it was one of the most important goals in franchise history. I’ll never forget what it was like to be in the building on that night and hope to be able to experience something similar in the near future.