Photo Credit: Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images

Photo Credit: Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images

Even though the San Jose Sharks are down two games in the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is no reason to rule the team out for good. Despite the disadvantage, the Sharks still have some strong attributes that can help them turn this series around.

In Game 1 the Pens got ahead early by racking up two goals in the first period. The Sharks bounced back though and tied the game in the second period. Ultimately, the Pens won the game with a goal they at the end of the third period.  Despite coming close to a victory, the Sharks weren’t themselves in this game. Initially, San Jose struggled adjusting to the Pens’ quick playing style and to rookie goalie Matt Murray‘s techniques, but this isn’t something the team can’t overcome.

Game 2 was a more accurate representation of the play the Sharks can put forward, but still is not reflective of the postseason play they have demonstrated thus far. The Sharks came very close to a win, but after tying the game in the third period and heading to overtime, the Pens set it up and grabbed the goal. The Penguins have been putting their best play forward from puck drop in game 1, but the Sharks will push themselves towards a steady incline in their play. The Sharks have a lot more to bring to the table in the games to come.

But before one might jump to conclude that the Pens have this in the bag, the Sharks are headed back home to play before their own fans and put their best play forward. After all, this is the first time that San Jose has ever made it to the Stanley Cup Final, so they won’t let this opportunity pass too easily.

The Sharks are a big team and they pack a good punch at the blue line. So far this postseason, the Sharks have defeated the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and St.Louis Blues.  The initially unsuspected team has earned their place in the finals by being a bit of an underdog. There’s no reason as to why the team won’t rise above their opposition for one final time.

The roster screams scoring; there are eight Sharks on the team who have recorded at least five goals in the playoffs thus far. Leading the team is captain Joe Paveleski who has 13 goals so far this postseason. It isn’t likely that the captain will let this be his final goal count and will aim to raise the bar for the most goals this postseason.  Not to mention the skills of Logan Couture, Joel Ward and Brent Burns, who are each strong and forceful players with good scoring skills. Overall, the Sharks have a more balanced team when it comes to scoring and skill. Once they find their confidence and momentum, they can really kick it into gear.

The scoring skills, combined with the strength and force that Burns has, makes him an uncontrollable player. He delivers hard hits, defends the goal, and is a scoring force on the ice. He, as well as Paveleski and Couture, have been difference makers this postseason and can do the same now in the Finals. These strong players have also made the Sharks’ power play somewhat unstoppable. They excel on their power play and every time a Penguin lands himself in the box the Sharks get ready to strike.  If the Penguins land themselves in the penalty box they will be forced to take on one of the strongest power plays, therefore they have been trying to avoid the box.

The Sharks have excelled and gotten stronger as each game passed in each series, therefore now they are only going to keep playing hard and rising to their full potential. Scoring comes naturally to this team and they have figured out the toughest of goalies this season. Between the Kings’ Jonathan Quick, the Preds’ Pekka Rinne, and the Blues’ Brian Elliot, the Sharks have proved that figuring out how to beat the goalie is something they can manage. This will follow the Sharks as they take on the Pens’ rookie, Murray.

Though the Penguins pull an advantage when it comes to speed, it isn’t anything the Sharks can’t handle if they keep their cool and focus on the game. The Penguins excel in speed and passing, but the Sharks have the size and strength and the puck control to get ahead. The speed has made it somewhat difficult for the Sharks to keep the puck in the Pens’ zone, but as the team regains composure and returns home for game 3, they can use their own strengths to counteract the speed the Penguins have.

If the Sharks use their own strengths accordingly they can outdo the speed and other advantages that the Penguins have. Defeating another big and skilled team, like the Kings, shows that the Sharks have what it takes to use their strength and puck control to their advantage to grab the puck and get goals. Even Nashville, a team that also uses speed to enhance their play, was matched by the strength of the Sharks. If the Sharks can channel this same level of determination and heart, they can put themselves ahead.

Defeating the Kings, the Preds, and the Blues was something many didn’t expect the Sharks to do, yet they defeated three very tough and hard-playing teams, earning their spot now. Channeling this same play can push the Sharks ahead of the Pens. Sure, the Penguins have gotten themselves passed the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Washington Capitals, who led the league this year, but the Stanley Cup Final is an incredibly different playing field.

The Sharks have never been to the Finals before, but that doesn’t mean their inexperience could be a disadvantage, it means that this newness and excitement might give them the heart they need to win. The Penguins might be experienced in this field but that doesn’t mean their guard can’t drop, even slightly, with their two-game lead thus far.  The Sharks haven’t been here before, but that will only push them further towards harder play; they want this.

This postseason has showed us that the underdog has a way of figuring it out and sneaking through rounds and that sometimes the obvious choice won’t be the reigning winners. This can be the same situation here. The Sharks are the underdogs here while the Pens seem to be everyone’s obvious bet for this year’s Cup champs.

Despite the two-game lead, the Sharks have a chance of going all the way. A lead like this doesn’t mean much in the Stanley Cup Finals, where every game is a new start and a hungry opportunity, especially when a team is returning home with a home record like the Sharks. Imagine how loud and exciting the SAP Center will be when the Sharks return to their ‘shark tank’ and their fans.

 

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