Stanley Cup Final 2016: Schedule, Top Players to Watch in Penguins vs. Sharks

The 2016 Stanley Cup Final is officially set, as the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to get back atop the NHL and the San Jose Sharks gear up for their first trip to the sport's grandest stage.

The Penguins and Sharks split their two regular-season meetings, but the two sides have not played since Dec. 1. Pittsburgh is a much different team, having installed Mike Sullivan as its new head coach and playing dynamite hockey.

Since March, the team lost only five regular-season games. In the playoffs, the Penguins took down the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the second round and the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning last round.

This series will feature two fast, high-tempo clubs and star players at nearly every position. Here is a look at the schedule for the series along with some top names to keep an eye on.

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Location
1	Monday, May 30	8 p.m.	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh
2	Wednesday, June 1	8 p.m.	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh
3	Saturday, June 4	8 p.m.	SAP Center, San Jose
4	Monday, June 6	8 p.m.	SAP Center, San Jose
5 (If Necessary)	Thursday, June 9	8 p.m.	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh
6 (If Necessary)	Sunday, June 12	8 p.m.	SAP Center, San Jose
7 (If Necessary)	Wednesday, June 15	8 p.m.	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh

Joe Pavelski, San Jose

San Jose is averaging 3.5 goals and nearly one power-play goal per game in the postseason and mostly has Joe Pavelski to thank.

The San Jose captain is leading the league with 13 playoff goals and is tied for the lead with five power-play tallies. This puts the 31-year-old in elite company, per SportsCenter:

He is an offensive catalyst who provides a great finisher for one of the greatest passers of all time in Joe Thornton on the team's top line. He also commands the attention of the defense as the guy in the slot during the power play.

Pavelski, who led the team with 38 goals during the regular season, will be a difference-maker during the Final. During this postseason, the Sharks are 9-1 in games where Pavelski scores at least once.

If the Penguins are going to knock off the Sharks, they will need to find a way to slow down Pavelski.

Pittsburgh was able to keep Pavelski off the scoreboard during the regular season, but doing so for a seven-game series may prove to be too difficult, as the Penguins lack the defensive depth to match the Sharks' forwards.   

Matt Murray, Pittsburgh

Matt Murray has been the story of these playoffs, and the 22-year-old rookie now has a chance to win something that opposing veterans such as Patrick Marleau and Thornton have seldom come even close to achieving.

As NHL.com's Mike Kelly notes, both goalies in this matchup are first-time starters who find themselves playing to win Lord Stanley's Cup:

In 14 games, Murray is 11-4 while defeating perennial Stanley Cup contenders in the New York Rangers, Capitals and Lightning. Sullivan briefly benched him for Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 5 against Tampa Bay, but he returned to lead his team back from a 3-2 series deficit and into the final round.

The Penguins are allowing significantly fewer shots per game than the Sharks, but San Jose is the top-scoring team in the playoffs for a reason.

Murray will be significantly tested, but there is no reason thus far to believe he will not be up for the challenge. 

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose

Brent Burns, with 22 points this postseason, is an offensive machine and deserves plenty of credit for his play, but the key to San Jose's defense is Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Vlasic routinely plays against the opponent's top players, which did not work out so well for St. Louis' Vladimir Tarasenko, per Bleacher Report's Jonathan Willis:

"

Marc-Edouard Vlasic has played 41:48 vs. Vladimir Tarasenko at evens thru five games. Tarasenko is pointless, shots are 21-14 SJ.

— Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) May 24, 2016"

Tarasenko did not record a point until Game 6 on May 25.

CBS Sports' Adam Gretz also emphasized the importance of Vlasic's play this postseason, noting how he and Justin Braun are excelling against some of the Western Conference's most potent offensive threats. He also encapsulated what makes Vlasic so effective:

"

When we think of shutdown defensive players, Vlasic is the guy we should immediately think of. He is not the type of huge body defender that is only capable of standing in front of the net and throwing people around like we used to see as "shutdown" players. He is talented enough to make plays with the puck, join the rush if he has to, contribute in the offensive end, and also go up against the other team's top goal scorer and help keep them off the board.

"

Vlasic is tied for first in the playoffs at plus-13 and is contributing offensively with 11 points. 

He will be crucial to shutting down either Sidney Crosby or Phil Kessel's line. If Vlasic can have the same effectiveness, then San Jose will be in a great spot to win the series.  

Phil Kessel

While stars Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have gone through playoff droughts this postseason, Kessel has been a consistent scorer.

Crosby finished the Washington series with only two assists, and Malkin ended the same series with only two points, so it was Kessel who led the charge offensively. 

The electric winger, who was acquired this offseason in a blockbuster trade with Toronto, put up six points in all three series and leads the team this postseason with 18 points.

Vice Sports' Sean McIndoe put Kessel into the discussion for MVP of the postseason:

Kessel's play with linemates Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin gives Pittsburgh three lines that can score, which makes the team nearly impossible to defend at even strength.

Whichever line Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer decides to pit Vlasic against, Pittsburgh will have an advantage against at least one of San Jose's defensive pairings.

The Sharks will need to increase their physical play to match the Penguins' speed, but Kessel should still ride the momentum of playing in his first Stanley Cup Final to put together another strong series. 

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.