Sharks vs. Penguins: Live-Stream Schedule, Odds and Pre-Game 6 Comments

The Pittsburgh Penguins have let one opportunity slip through their hands.

Will it happen a second time?

The Penguins remain one win away from capturing the Stanley Cup, but the San Jose Sharks earned quite a bit of respect with their 4-2 win in Game 5 on Thursday night. With the city of Pittsburgh poised to celebrate a title on home ice, the Sharks came out and scored two quick goals to knock the Penguins on their heels.

It didn't matter that the Penguins responded with two goals of their own shortly thereafter, because the Sharks kept their poise.

When Melker Karlsson blasted a shot past Matt Murray that allowed the Sharks to regain the lead and take it to the locker room at the end of the first period, the Sharks felt good about themselves.

While the Penguins put plenty of pressure on San Jose the rest of the way, the Sharks held on to the lead and escaped from Pittsburgh with the victory. Martin Jones was spectacular in goal for San Jose with 44 saves.

That win means the Sharks will host the Penguins on Sunday night for Game 6, which will be televised on NBC at 8 p.m. ET and can be live-streamed on NHL.tv. 

While the Penguins have played well in the series and have controlled the action through each of the first five games, they are in an uncomfortable position. They have twice blown 3-1 leads in recent postseasons, with the most recent being a loss to the New York Rangers in 2014.

Matchup	Game	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Pittsburgh Penguins at San Jose Sharks	6	June 12	8 p.m.	NBC	NHL.tv
San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins	7*	June 15	8 p.m.	NBC	NHL.tv

Players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz were part of that loss as well as the 2011 debacle against the Tampa Bay Lightning, so they know that it has happened in the past and could happen again.

Former Penguins defenseman Paul Martin is now a key part of the Sharks defense, and he knows the Game 5 victory could turn the momentum. 

"I think it is more of a mental thing where you realize that your opportunity to finish off [the series] is getting smaller and that each loss gives the other team that much more belief and momentum that they can get it done and pull it off," he said, per Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com.

If the Penguins have any concerns going into Game 6, they do not revolve around their rookie goaltender. He has been the backbone of the Penguins' efforts up to this point, and while there were some questions about the goals he allowed in the first period of Game 5, his teammates understand that he has been on top of his game throughout the postseason.

Murray has a 14-6 record in the playoffs along with a 2.14 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

Pens Inside Scoop pointed out that he's even better in games following a loss:

Kunitz spoke about the confidence the team has in Murray, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com:

"

Honestly, we haven't really had to [be concerned with Murray] this whole playoffs. He's had great starts. He's had great, big saves at key times for us. Games that we haven't won, it usually comes from a lack of support somewhere on the ice that we didn't give him. He carries himself so well that you always have that confidence in him.

"

The Penguins played well enough to win Game 5, and they know a similar effort may be good enough to bring them the championship in Game 6. The key may be getting on the scoreboard first, because the Sharks have struggled when they have had to play from behind.

The oddsmakers have made the Sharks slight favorites to tie the series at the conclusion of Game 6. They are minus-111 favorites (bet $111 to win $100), according to Odds Shark, while the Penguins are plus-101 underdogs.

In all likelihood, this should be a close game. The Sharks are still the more desperate team, and it would not be a surprise if they forced a Game 7.