Penguins vs. Sharks: The Biggest Takeaways from Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup was in the house for Game 5 of the Cup Final, and Pittsburgh Penguins fans were ready to rock.

All game-day fans were talking about winning the first championship at home in Pittsburgh since the Pirates' historic victory over the New York Yankees in 1960. CBS Pittsburgh's Bob Pompeani and John Shumway told the story in the hours before Game 5.

The San Jose Sharks faced elimination on Thursday, a dire circumstance for such a successful team. The Sharks lost the first two games of the series, meaning the goal was trying to win four of five—something no team has done since the Boston Bruins in 2011.

The story of Game 5 was San Jose goalie Martin Jones, who time and again stoned the oncoming Pittsburgh barrage. Jones stopped 44 of 46 shots, many from point-blank range. His save on Nick Bonino was one of the statement plays of the entire season—and thrust Jones into Conn Smythe Trophy consideration.

Some key Sharks players (Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski) hit the scoresheet offensively, and that could bode well for Game 6.

Pittsburgh had some impressive stats too—seven shots from Patric Hornqvist, six each from Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin—with Malkin and Hagelin scoring one goal apiece. One item in the box score that could not be ignored: Matt Murray stopping only 18 of 21 shots. He had been amazingly consistent throughout the spring but could not make the stops in Game 5.

The real story is a trip back to California for another game this weekend and the small possibility of the ultimate hockey scenario: Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final.

San Jose Sharks: Mr. Jones Is Going to Be a Big Star

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Martin Jones delivered another fantastic performance in Game 5. His 44 saves in a 4-2 win over the Penguins left no doubt about how important he is to this Sharks team.

His performance was also historic. According to the Elias Sports Bureau (h/t NHL Public Relations), Jones became the first goalie in the expansion era to post more than one 40-save victory in a Cup Final.

Jones and Penguins goalie Matt Murray have been fighting an impressive battle for best goalie in the series, although Jones has the edge in save percentage (.933 to .916) heading into Game 6. With two games possibly to come, both men have a chance to get their names into the Conn Smythe conversation.

The Sharks are getting killed in puck possession, and relying on brilliant goaltending is a bad idea.

With that said, the team is heading back home with a chance to push things to Game 7 if it can win in San Jose. Jones is playing on another level, and if he continues doing it, the Sharks have at least a puncher's chance to win it all.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Only a Matter of Time

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Although the Sharks won Game 5, the Penguins will likely win the Stanley Cup if their advantage in shot differential continues.

No matter how good the goaltending is from Martin Jones, history teaches us that if one team outshoots the other one by a significant margin (179-119 in the series), it is going to win more games than it loses.

The key to victory for Pittsburgh is that the team comes in waves—three lines capable of offense—and the puck is in the San Jose zone more than 50 percent of the time. Lines driven by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel mean that the club has a dangerous trio hunting for goals about 80 percent of the time at even strength.

Defender Kris Letang is also a formidable player on this team and an expert in getting the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone in short order. As this series progresses, both Brian Dumoulin and Olli Maatta are becoming more consistent in this area.

The formula is working, no matter the result in Game 5. The Penguins should keep doing what they are doing—the Stanley Cup is heading to Pennsylvania unless the Sharks can stop the bleeding.

San Jose Sharks: A Big Night for Logan Couture

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Entering Game 5, Logan Couture had just two points in the Stanley Cup Final. In an elimination game for the Sharks, he came up with a goal and three points to extend the series and get things back to California.

Couture leads the NHL in playoff assists and points. As shown on Corsica, he has been very effective this spring with Joonas Donskoi. The other winger on the line has been either Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward or Melker Karlsson, and the trio is successful no matter who is the third man.

The Cup Final had been a different story until Game 5. Couture helped the Sharks to a quick early lead, assisting on Brent Burns' goal and then cashing one of his own for a 2-0 lead before the game was three minutes old.

For Couture, this watershed game could be a sign of things to come. Great offensive players sometimes dominate after breaking out of slumps, and San Jose badly needs a player to step up in Game 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Crosby vs. Kessel for the Conn Smythe Trophy?

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Before Game 5, fans discussed the likeliest winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL's top playoff performer. Matt Murray and Kris Letang were still in the conversation, but Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby had emerged as the front-runners.

Kessel has a goal and four points in the Final, and he is just shy of the point-per-game mark in the playoffs. Crosby has two assists against the Sharks but has skated miles in a two-way role and has 17 points in 23 playoff games.

The final game of the series will probably determine the Conn Smythe winner. The contest for playoff MVP is close enough for Kessel, Crosby or perhaps even Murray or Letang to win it with an epic performance in the clinching game.

There is also a possibility of a Game 7, and at that point, the discussion could turn to the Sharks' best players this spring. Martin Jones and others are two wins away from the Stanley Cup, and anything can happen.

The smart money is on Kessel winning the Conn Smythe, but this is not over yet.

San Jose Sharks: The Turning Point

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There were two turning points in Game 5, both of them favoring the Sharks.

The first came after the Penguins had tied the score 2-2 in a furious first period. Melker Karlsson, who has been a factor throughout the series, sent an off-speed shot at the Pittsburgh net that found its way past Matt Murray.

The goal came at 14:47 of the first period and gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead. San Jose would not trail in the game from that point forward.

Martin Jones made a myriad of saves during the final two periods, many of the highlight-reel variety. One of them—a stunning stop off Penguins forward Nick Bonino—may end up being a key to the series. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com offered a fine description of the play:

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Jones' best save was on a Bonino rebound chance with 4:54 remaining in the second period. He made a left-pad save on Kessel's initial shot from the top of the left circle but left a rebound in front.

It appeared Jones would have little chance to stop Bonino's backhand effort until he kicked out his left leg and got his toe on the puck.

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There is a long road to go if the Sharks are to push this to a Game 7 and win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. If that happens, Jones' save on Bonino should be remembered as a key moment on the road to the Cup.

Statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and NHL.com.