The Stanley Cup will be in the building when the puck drops on the Penguins and Sharks at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday.
Pittsburgh looks to hoist the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 2009, while the San Jose looks to keep their first ever appearance in the final round alive and force a Game 6 at home on Sunday.
The Penguins put the Sharks on the brink by beating them in their own building, 3-1, on Monday. It marked the first game of this series to be decided by more than one goal. Pittsburgh took Game 1, 3-2, and followed it up with a 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2. When the series shifted to California, the Sharks took Game 3, 3-2, in overtime before dropping Game 4.
San Jose is trying to draw from the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, which is the only club to ever come back from a 3-1 series hole and hoist the Stanley Cup in history. The Penguins are trying to win the first home title for a Pittsburgh franchise in 56 years.
The Sharks have had trouble scoring all series and have failed to score first or hold a lead. Joonas Donskoi's Game 3 overtime winner is the lone lead San Jose has had throughout the final.
"We've talked about scoring first, and obviously if we don't tonight we can't just back the bus up and head home," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said via NHL.com. "But we want to play with a lead. We want to put them in a position where they're playing from behind. We haven't done that yet."
Joe Pavelski entered the series with a playoffs-best 13 goals, but has yet to notch a single point. Logan Couture has had his chances, but has had trouble piling on his playoff-leading 26 points and team leading 18 assists. Tomas Hertl (lower-body) remains out.
For the Penguins, Phil Kessel has been a force and leads the team with 10 goals and 21 points.
Evgeni Malkin finally ended his drought with a goal (3) and assist (12) in Game 4, while Ian Cole (1) and Eric Fehr (3) also scored for Pittsburgh. San Joses' lone goal came from Melker Karlsson (4).
The Penguins turn to rookie goalie Matt Murray, who is one win away from winning the Stanley Cup in his first try. Murray turned aside 23 of the 24 shots he faced in Game 4 and is 14-5 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in the playoffs.
"I think our players have this game in perspective," coach Mike Sullivan said per NHL.com. "We're at our best when we play with emotion, play with energy. But it certainly has to be controlled emotion."
The Sharks counter with Martin Jones, who yielded three goals on 20 shots last game and is 13-9 with a 2.17 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
Game Details & Live Stream
Matchup: Sharks at Penguins Stanley Cup Final Game 5
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Radio: San Jose (KFOX 98.5); Pittsburgh (105.9 WXDX)
Series: 3-1 Penguins.
Predictions: Our predictions for this series can be viewed here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds for this game can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
