Penguins vs. Sharks: The Biggest Takeaways from Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final

The waiting is over, and the Stanley Cup Final is underway.

Game 1 anticipation was high, and the Pittsburgh Penguins' fans arrived at fever pitch. The Penguins—featuring two of the best players in the game for a decade, with only one Stanley Cup to show for it—won out against the Eastern Conference in convincing fashion and were ready for action.

The San Jose Sharks won the Western Conference by beating back the Los Angeles Kings before ripping through the Central Division's Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues. Entering the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final, excitement was high in northern California.

The Penguins rewarded the fans with a fantastic first period, scoring twice and dominating play. San Jose found their legs in the second period, pushing back with a pair of goals. The third period was close for 10 minutes, and then Pittsburgh took off, tallying the winning marker very late for a 3-2 victory.

The early dominance by the Penguins and counterpunch from the Sharks were part of an instant classic which featured brilliant, physical hockey and tremendous displays of skill.

Here are the top takeaways from Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Double-Shifting Sidney Crosby Works!

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

During Game 1, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan took great pains to get Sidney Crosby on the ice during important parts of the game. Extra shifts for Crosby—and at times for Phil Kessel—made matching up difficult for San Jose coach Peter DeBoer.

Crosby received over 20 minutes of ice time—easily the most among forwards for both teams. His specific time on ice per shift shows there were times during the game—especially when tied—when Crosby returned to the ice less than one minute after heading to the bench.

The Penguins are a very good team, but giving Crosby about one-third of each period allows Pittsburgh to control possession and keep the puck a long way from Matt Murray. Over the years, there have been times when some question the value and impact of Pittsburgh's best player, but last night is an excellent example of just how good Sidney Crosby is and what a difference he makes in games.

San Jose is an excellent team with quality and depth defensively, but double-shifting Crosby gave the Sharks fits and is likely to be a major issue in Game 2 and throughout the series.

San Jose Sharks: Early Jitters?

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The San Jose Sharks began their first Stanley Cup Final game slowly and were down by two goals after one period. That slow start contributed to the loss and is something the team will need to avoid in Game 2.

In the first period, San Jose delivered just four shots on goal, compared to 15 for the Penguins. Goalie Martin Jones kept it close, and in the second period two goals—one each by Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau—got the team back into a game they had no right being in based on the first 20 minutes.

The worry for San Jose was the third period. Once even, the Sharks took some unnecessary penalties and risked giving up a power-play goal. After the 10-minute mark of the third, Pittsburgh took it to the Sharks as they had in the first period, outshooting San Jose 18-9 in the final stanza.

Despite the inconsistent play, the game was tied late. The Sharks got lost in their own zone on a late goal by Nick Bonino and are only down a game.

This series has plenty of track left, but San Jose will need to arrive more prepared for Game 2.

Pittsburgh Penguins: How Much Can Kris Letang Play?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

One of the prevailing themes of the Penguins' playoff march this spring is the lack of veteran defensemen. The commonly held belief for NHL teams and fans is "the more veterans the better," and yet Pittsburgh has very few proven defenders.

The most important piece of the puzzle is Kris Letang, who had another monster evening in Game 1. He played almost 28 minutes, assisted on the winning goal with a fantastic pass to Nick Bonino, had four shots on goal and made intelligent decisions all over the ice.

At the beginning of the playoffs, observers were unsure of the depth chart, which at that time included the now-injured Trevor Daley. Last night, Brian Dumoulin played 22 minutes, Justin Schultz played almost 19 and the Penguins won the game.

Among the candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy—Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Matt Murray—at least some credit should go to Kris Letang. His playoff spring has been outstanding—and then some.

San Jose Sharks: Wasting a Great Goaltending Performance

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Sharks lost a close game on the scoreboard, but the truth is there were major segments of the game where the Penguins dominated. The first period of Game 1 featured Pittsburgh's forwards pushing for a goal, scoring twice and getting many other brilliant chances.

By any reasonable estimate, the score could have been 4-0 or worse if not for the outstanding efforts of goalie Martin Jones.

Time and again he robbed Pittsburgh shooters, keeping his team in the game. Jones did exactly what every goalie in that situation needs to do: give his team a chance to get back into the game.

In the third period—especially in the final 10 minutes—the Penguins drove hard for the winning goal. The extra marker by Nick Bonino came from a goalmouth shot and featured an enormous defensive breakdown.

No matter what happens in the rest of this series, Martin Jones gave his team a chance to win Game 1.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Turning Point

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Nick Bonino's brilliant goal late in the third period was the most important single moment in Game 1, but the turning point came earlier in the final 20 minutes.

The game opened with Pittsburgh crashing for the entire first period, scoring twice and delivering close to a knockout blow. After one, it was clear that Martin Jones was the major reason there was even a game at all.

In the second period, San Jose found its legs, scored twice and gained even footing with the opposition. Only a late penalty run flawed the period for California's last remaining team.

Early in the third period, the Sharks killed off a penalty and had close to even flow in play. However, at about the 10-minute mark of the third period, Pittsburgh double-shifted some of its major impact players—notably Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang—and San Jose simply couldn't keep up with the extreme speed of play.

This series is likely to go deep, six or seven games. Fans should expect a stronger effort from San Jose in Game 2. However, if you are a Sharks fan, your one major concern should be the Penguins' ability to turn up the volume as required.

If the team cannot answer that push with one of their own, the Sharks will not stay in this series for long.