Sharks vs. Penguins: Stanley Cup Final 2016 Results, Highlights and Top Comments

They didn't win it at home and get a chance to celebrate in front of their own fans, but the Pittsburgh Penguins would not be denied in their quest for the Stanley Cup.

They earned it with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center Sunday night, as Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang scored in the first two periods and Patric Hornqvist added an empty-net goal late in the third period to clinch Game 6.

Sidney Crosby, who had been kept off the scoresheet in the three previous games, had two assists and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

"It wasn't easy getting here, especially the way things started out," Crosby said after the game, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press (h/t CBSSports.com). "The first half wasn't easy, and I think everyone just stuck together, kept going and found some momentum there in March and continued to keep it going."

The Sharks were desperate to tie the score in the third period, but that desperation could not penetrate the Penguins' spectacular team defense and propel the tying goal past rookie goalie Matt Murray. In fact, they did not even make Murray work that hard in the final period. They registered just two shots on goal when their season was on the line.

At a time when the Sharks needed their big guns to step up, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski could not come through when their team needed them most.

Thornton, who appeared to be on his way to rewriting his less-than-inspiring playoff reputation through the first three rounds, appeared listless and slow through most of the Stanley Cup Final. Instead of going hard to the net and fighting for every puck, he appeared content to drift on the outside and attempt to thread long passes to his teammates.

Pavelski missed what appeared to be a fairly open net in the second period when he misfired after taking a cross-ice pass. NBC analyst Pierre McGuire told the national TV audience that it was the kind of shot that Pavelski buries "10 out of 10 times. It was an anomaly."

Pavelski also got the puck in front of the Pittsburgh net midway through the third period, but instead of turning and firing the puck on net, he attempted an ill-advised pass to Thornton. The pass never had a chance, and that was basically the end for the Sharks.

The Penguins played remarkably well in stifling the Sharks and keeping them from mounting their offensive game. The Sharks had been relentless in that area through the first three rounds of the playoffs, but the Penguins contested every pass, shot and attempt to carry the puck up ice.

Pittsburgh showed off its speed throughout the series. While the Sharks were more competitive in Game 6 than they had been in any of the other games—including the two that San Jose managed to win—they were done in by the better team.

This Stanley Cup is the second in Crosby's remarkable career. He has also won two Olympic gold medals, a World Championship, a World Junior Championship and a Hart Trophy. Crosby joins Joe Sakic as the only players to bring home all of those honors.

Crosby won his first Stanley Cup in 2009 against the Detroit Red Wings, and he admitted before Sunday's game how hard it was to get back to a championship level.

"When you look back, it seems like a while ago," Crosby told Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com. "In '09, it was something that you felt like maybe might be an annual thing, and it's not that easy. … It's difficult to win once, let alone twice. So I think it says a lot."

It was a remarkable turnaround for the Penguins, who were not even in the playoff picture when they fired Mike Johnston in December and hired Mike Sullivan to take over as head coach. Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford told Sporting News' Sean Gentille he made the move because he thought his "team looked slow" and Sullivan was able to bring out the best in his players and get them skating again.

The Penguins had many heroes throughout their run, and it's difficult to overstate what Murray did in goal throughout the playoffs. The 21-year-old netminder was basically an unknown at the start of the playoffs, having played just 13 regular-season games.

However, an injured Marc-Andre Fleury gave Murray an opportunity, and he was in goal for 15 of the Penguins' 16 postseason wins.

Phil Kessel was another big factor for the Penguins in their Stanley Cup run. He led the Penguins in postseason scoring with 10 goals and 12 assists, but there was much more to his game than his offense. Kessel did an excellent job of skating and back-checking and doing whatever he could to break up San Jose offensive thrusts whenever he could.

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The acquisition of Kessel during the offseason was one of Jim Rutherford's key moves, as was acquiring players like Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino. Penguins owner Mario Lemieux credited Rutherford for his moves during the year as well as his players' ability to turn things around after a slow start.

"It's been an incredible year," Lemieux said, per the AP (via CBC News). "We had a rough start the first couple months of the season, then we made some changes. ... It's hard to win this Cup. We're going to enjoy it for a while."

While the Penguins beat the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the second round, veteran Matt Cullen said the Penguins gained the confidence they needed to win the Stanley Cup in the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, per Cotsonika:

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I think that Tampa series was where we found ourselves. The series flipped on its head. We were up 2-1 and everything was looking pretty good, and all of a sudden you find yourselves down 3-2. It was a big test for our team, and I was really proud of our team and the way that we played when we were down. I thought those two games were right up with the very best games we had all playoffs.

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In the end, it was a remarkable turnaround for the Penguins. Midway through the season, they appeared to be one of the most disappointing teams in the league. They found their stride as a result of the leadership of Sullivan and Crosby, and now they have won the franchise's fourth Stanley Cup.