Captain Sidney Crosby and company will be bringing another cup home to Pittsburgh — but this year, they had to make a stop first in California to pick it up. The Penguins finished off the Sharks on San Jose's home ice to claim the Stanley Cup in six games.
The championship marks the second for Pittsburgh's formidable tandem of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, two likely Hall of Famers who last won a Cup together precisely seven years ago, in 2009. It is the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
But San Jose — and Sharks goaltender Martin Jones, in particular — didn't make it easy on them.
After conceding a power-play goal midway through the first period — a bouncing wrister from Brian Dumoulin, who drew the penalty, too — the Sharks finally found their footing in the second, lodging six shots on goal within minutes of opening the period. Logan Couture put a bow on the Sharks' strong showing by tying the game up at 1.
It wasn't long before that bow was undone, however. Defenseman Kris Letang scored just over a minute later, putting the Penguins up 2-1. And, while both teams continued to trade body blows, that notch from Letang would prove to be the game winner.
Patric Hornqvist's empty-net goal in the final minutes was just gravy for the Pens' 3-1 victory.
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