Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Recap

Malkin Helps Put Penguins On Verge of Cup

         Evgeni Malkin picked up 2 points in a breakout game, giving the Penguins a chance to win their 4^th Stanley Cup on Thursday. With the help of goaltender Matt Murray and a late goal by Eric Fehr, the Penguins were able to defeat the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center.

         Pittsburgh once again dominated the early stages of the game. They outshot and outskated the Sharks for the first half of the 1^st period. At 7:36, Ian Cole scored his first career playoff goal when Martin Jones gave up a big rebound after stopping Phil Kessel’s shot. Malkin earned a secondary assist on the goal, giving him his first point of the series.

         The Penguins had scored first in every game of the series, and grabbed a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission. The Penguins continued to press early in the 2^nd when the Sharks took a penalty. It only took 9 seconds for the Penguins to convert. Kessel fed a slap-pass across the crease to Malkin, who deflected the puck past Jones at 2:37. San Jose had never led in the series, and now trailed 2-0. Luckily for them, there was plenty of game left for them to find a spark.

         Entering the 3^rd down 2-0, the Sharks began to look more dangerous as Pittsburgh went on the defensive. Though they spent most of the time in the Penguins zone, the Sharks struggled to get shots through Pittsburgh’s shot blockers. The Sharks would, however, take advantage of a blocked shot when Melker Karlsson picked up a loose puck after Ian Cole blocked a shot. Karlsson wristed the puck under Murray’s glove to give San Jose the spark they needed.

         The Sharks would come close to scoring a few times, but unfortunately, they were unable to tie the game. Eric Fehr ended San Jose’s hopes of a tying goal when Carl Hagelin sent the puck to him in the slot. Fehr then put the puck into the net with 2:02 remaining to make it 3-1.

         The Sharks would pull Jones, but it wasn’t enough to draw even with the extra attacker. The Penguins now lead the series 3 games to 1, and have the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup at home in game 5. The last time a Pittsburgh sports team won a championship in Pittsburgh was when the Pirates won the 1960 World Series.