Penguins vs. Sharks: The Biggest Takeaways from Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final

After a late goal secured Game 1 for the Pittsburgh Penguins, expectations for Game 2 included a much better start for the San Jose Sharks.

After being out-shot badly in the first and third periods of the opener, it was incumbent upon the Sharks to get good looks, lots of chances and carry more of the play in Game 2. The shots in Game 1 were 41-26 in favor of the Penguins—that is a major possession gap. Despite losing a close game—on a late goal—San Jose was chasing the puck in the first 20 minutes and the last 10 of Game 1.

Game 2 was closer, with the Penguins getting 30 shots and San Jose 22, but the major storylines emerging from this series are all about the Sharks' inability to push for goals, as seen again in their 2-1 loss on Wednesday.

Two games into the series, San Jose has no wins, three goals and has never led—not for one minute of their first Stanley Cup Final.

On the other side, everything is coming up Sidney Crosby for Pittsburgh. The fantastic theatre of a choreographed overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final is guaranteed to be an enduring, iconic moment from this year's classic.

Here are the top takeaways from Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby Is on Another Level

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

A major part of sports is the anecdote, often offered as proof of greatness for a specific player or team. Many find numbers boring, and analysis can often sound the same from player to player, but a great story surrounding an impact player can take on a life of its own—and live forever.

In overtime of Game 2, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a faceoff on the left side in the San Jose zone. Before the faceoff, Sidney Crosby spoke to all of the important players who would eventually be involved in the winning goal seconds later.

Like a quarterback barking out orders before the snap, Crosby appeared to invoke a set play—and something resembling one occurred right after play resumed. After Crosby won the faceoff, the puck got back to Kris Letang, who sent a deft pass to Conor Sheary. A split-second later, Sheary would send a screened shot to the net, and the Penguins would win Game 2.

Sports has a way of overselling a moment like the one in Pittsburgh, but in this case it appears that fact matches legend. After the game, Chris Johnston received—and tweeted out—confirmation of the set play.

A reasonable estimate of Sidney Crosby's resume should have him about halfway through what is likely to be a Hall of Fame career. Last night's famous moment is fresh, but it is not in any way hyperbole to suggest it will rank among his most legendary moments as time passes.

San Jose Sharks: Where Is Everybody?

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The hockey wisdom that suggests a team isn't in trouble during a playoff series until losing at home may get a test in the 2016 edition of the Stanley Cup Final.

The San Jose Sharks are a quality team—getting out of the Western Conference is a very difficult process every spring—but the two road games exposed plenty of things to worry about for the Sharks.

The team is averaging 1.5 goals per game and wasting outstanding goaltending performances from Martin Jones—who is now sitting at a .930 save percentage for the series.

The names of impact players without a point—Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski among them—is a slight concern. Not scoring in a two-game sample is no major issue for any NHL player. The alarm comes from just how little offense is being generated by the Sharks and how exposed some of the veterans are in this series.

Brent Burns is a burly, tough and creative defender, but in the two Pittsburgh games he looked plodding, ill-prepared and on his heels during every defensive sortie. Thornton's brilliant passes are not finding the target, and the power play looks addled and ineffective.

Things can and should change in Game 3 back home in San Jose, but the Sharks have not been able to grab the momentum at any time in this series. Where is the freewheeling offense and the devastating forechecks?

There is real concern for San Jose in this series and its Game 3 do-or-die.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Hole in the Defense Cannot Be Found

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For many observers, including this writer, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered the playoffs with a substantial hole that some team would eventually expose and prey upon.

We are two games from the end of the season—providing they are Penguins wins—and the location of the soft underbelly of that Pittsburgh defense remains a mystery.

Part of the solution has been the brilliant Kris Letang, who has played over 55 minutes in the first two games. His ability to play in any situation—and to act as a rover during offensive opportunities—have been an extremely important part of Pittsburgh's success. Both game-winning goals in this series were keyed by a Letang pass.

Beyond Pittsburgh's top defender, there are some emerging names. Although many questioned the quality of the Penguins' defensive depth chart, it is becoming apparent that the blue line is lacking only in name recognition. Men who have improved their reputations this spring include Brian Dumoulin, Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz.

It is difficult to know how this series will turn in Game 3. It is apparent that the Penguins defense is better than previously thought, but that group remains the weak link of the team. Can the Sharks expose those weaker links at home during the last line change?

There should be a window of opportunity, but this has been a known area of weakness all spring—and the Penguins are on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup.

San Jose Sharks: Is Crosby Cheating?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Among the more unusual responses after Game 2 came from San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture. As Frank Seravalli of TSN reported, Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic openly suggested that Penguins center Sidney Crosby cheats on faceoffs and gets preferential treatment, which made the difference on the winning goal in Game 2.

There is no doubt that veterans get more slack—that is true in every sport—and Crosby is a very vocal player famous for chirping at referees in an attempt to get future calls. This happens with all teams in all games—if you have attended an NHL game and sat within earshot, the exchanges can get colorful—but the charges by San Jose are specific, loaded and serious.

The easy response is to suggest that San Jose should suck it up, play through the difficulties and make its own luck, work on changing the flow of the game. Although to this observer there have been missed calls, the prevailing wisdom is that these things even out over time.

Time is something San Jose has precious little of, especially if the club loses Game 3.

The result of San Jose's outburst to the media will likely add attention to faceoffs, but in a way, the Penguins are already winning the mind games that are played in any series. The Sharks' verbalizing their frustration confirms the team is thinking about things other than winning hockey games.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Turning Point

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Early in overtime, the Pittsburgh Penguins were readying themselves for an offensive zone faceoff. These moments take place thousands of times during an NHL season and are mostly non-events. Two players talk, but the execution has to work in perfect order, luck has to be onside with intent and it folds along the way so often that we don't connect the discussion with the goal even if it happens as expected.

The difference last night was the importance of the moment. The Pittsburgh Penguins may have won the Stanley Cup on that play—we will know soon how the San Jose Sharks react in Game 3.

It is already a famous moment and could become an all-time iconic event in the game's history: Bob Nystrom's overtime goal against the Philadelphia Flyers, Bobby Orr taking flight scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues and Sidney Crosby calling his shot against the San Jose Sharks.

What can stop this moment from becoming one of the most famous in the game's history? Only San Jose winning four of the last five games and taking the Stanley Cup away from the Penguins.

Remember that moment from Game 2—it will be talked about for a very long time.