The San Jose Sharks are in trouble.
Thanks to a 2-1 overtime victory Wednesday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins own a 2-0 series lead heading to California, and if history is any indicator, the Penguins are in good shape.
The @penguins are 50th team to take a 2-0 series lead in Final since it went to best-of-7 format. 44 of other 49 won the #StanleyCup (89.8%)
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 2, 2016
Although both games have been decided by one goal, Pittsburgh has carried play throughout the series, and has been the better team. That said, San Jose has a record of 7-2 at home this postseason, and the series is far from over.
As both teams gear up for travel, here are three keys to the Penguins' Game 2 win.
Neutralizing Sharks' weapons
The firepower that brought San Jose to their first Stanley Cup Final was stagnant in Pittsburgh.
The Sharks' top line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl only mustered four shots combined in Game 2, and none of the three have registered a point thus far.
After dispatching the strong defensive corps of Los Angeles, Nashville, and St. Louis, San Jose looked apt to pick apart the Penguins less experienced blue line.
Logan Couture's scored two points, but it's clear San Jose needs its big three to get going in their search for survival.
Discipline
Perhaps the biggest key to shutting down the Sharks has been keeping them at even strength.
Pittsburgh only surrendered one power play in Game 2, and it yielded no results. Both Pavelski and Thornton have nine points with the man advantage in the playoffs, and the Sharks as a team have a 27.3 percent success rate this postseason.
Playing 5-on-5 gives the Penguins a distinct edge, as their transition game and depth is superior to San Jose's, allowing them to play to their strength.
"HBK" keeps firing
Nick Bonino in Game 1, then Phil Kessel in Game 2. The "HBK" line is still going strong.
Kessel's goal - assisted by Bonino and Carl Hagelin - was his 10th of the playoffs, and the Penguins' third line continues to be too much to handle. While San Jose's top defensive pairings deal with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, "HBK" is slotted against Roman Polak and Brenden Dillon, and based on speed, it's a huge mismatch.
San Jose suppressed Pittsburgh to 30 shots on Wednesday, compared to 41 in Game 1, but at this point, the Penguins' depth has been a major difference in the series.
Game 3 is set for Saturday night at the Shark Tank.
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