The Pittsburgh Penguins missed an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup on home ice for the first time ever in Game 5, but history could be on their side for Game 6.

Sunday marks the seven-year anniversary of the Penguins' Cup title in 2009.

Pittsburgh took down the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 for the franchise's third championship in 2009, but the Penguins have undergone several changes since then.

The core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, and Marc-Andre Fleury are the only Penguins from the 2009 playoff roster. Pittsburgh has also employed two new coaches and a new general manager since they last won it all.

Still, there are some similarities, as Pittsburgh holds a current postseason record of 15-8, one win shy of matching the mark they reached seven years ago.

After all, they say history repeats itself.

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The Lake Erie Monsters are AHL champions after winning the Calder Cup in thrilling fashion, completing their sweep of the Hershey Bears in overtime Saturday night.

Related: Watch: Oliver Bjorkstrand scores Calder Cup winner in OT

That title, though, was won with a heavy heart, as the Monsters just lost longtime equipment manager Phil Simon, who died at 83 Thursday after a battle with leukemia.

In a touching moment, Monsters fans chanted "Thank you, Phil!" at Game 4 on home ice.

The championship was Cleveland's first since 1964, and the team dedicated it to Simon.

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Logan Couture is having a dream postseason, but his 2016 could have been a nightmare.

The San Jose Sharks forward feared for his life after discovering arterial bleeding in his thigh back in December.

"On the plane back (from a game), I noticed something was wrong. (Former Sharks goaltender) Alex Stalock actually had to take me off the plane on a wheelchair because I couldn't walk," Couture told Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Saturday.

"They had to stop the bleeding somehow. They were able to do that fortunately. It was just continuously filling with blood. It could could have gotten to the point where - you don't know what's going to happen - if you're going to lose your leg or you're going to die."

Couture suffered the injury two games after returning from missing 23 contests due to a broken leg.

"I was in the hospital and I got an MRI. Eight or 10 doctors were staring at my MRI, so I knew something was seriously wrong," he said. "The doctor came and talked to me one-on-one. It was tough. He assured me everything was going to be OK but you never know."

The 27-year-old center gained a new perspective on the game while dealing with the ailment.

"I think at that point when I had that injury," he said. "You just realize it's just a sport and there are bigger things you have to worry about than hockey."

Couture was limited to 52 regular-season games because of his injuries, but upon returning in late December, he helped carry the Sharks into the postseason and eventually, into the Stanley Cup Final.

"Our team was struggling until he came back from his injury," teammate Joe Thornton said. "Once he came back, our team kind of exploded. He's such an important part of this team. He had a great regular season. He's doing the same in the postseason. He shows up game after game. He's a big presence for us."

Couture leads all skaters with 20 assists and 29 points in 23 playoff games.

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The San Jose Sharks are home, and they're ready to go.

Fighting for their lives, San Jose was able to escape Game 5 in Pittsburgh thanks to an otherworldly performance from goaltender Martin Jones, and now, the Sharks will need a better performance all-around to do it again.

Here are three reasons why San Jose will get it done.

Martin Jones

Expecting Jones to perform the way he did in Game 5 may be a little unreasonable, but there's no reason to doubt he can dictate another game.

The 26-year-old has easily been the Sharks' best player to this point, producing a 2.16 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 23 starts this postseason.

If San Jose manages to erase the entire 3-1 series deficit - such a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 1942 - Jones will likely be adding a Conn Smythe Trophy to his mantle.

Home-ice advantage

The SAP Center has been kind to the Sharks.

San Jose has posted a record of 8-3 at home in the playoffs, out-scoring opponents 37-22.

In addition, Jones has played his best on home ice.

Similarly, Sharks forward Joe Thornton also has excelled at home, scoring 14 points to only seven on the road.

San Jose notoriously has one of the most raucous crowds in the league and Sharks fans will be going full force in their final home game of the season.

Logan Couture

It doesn't matter where's he's playing, Logan Couture has been lights out the entire postseason.

Leading the league with 29 playoff points, Couture scores at a torrid pace when it matters most.

Couture has continuously stepped up while his fellow superstar teammates remain mostly quiet, and suffice to say, if it weren't for the 27-year-old, the Sharks wouldn't be where they are.

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Braden Holtby is used to rocking the red, but the Washington Capitals goaltender can also rock the rainbow.

Holtby and his wife, Brandi, led the team's contingent at the Capital Pride Parade in D.C. on Saturday, marching alongside PA announcer Wes Johnson, the Red Rockers, and other members of the organization.

The Holtbys are supporters of You Can Play, the organization that promotes equality among athletes regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

In a statement last week, the netminder said he was honored to represent the Capitals at the event while shining the light on the LGBT community's contributions.

Holtby attended last year's parade, but this was the first time he was an official participant.

- With h/t to The Washington Post and Russian Machine Never Breaks

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The city of Cleveland has finally won a championship.

With 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime Saturday, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand buried the game's only goal for the Lake Erie Monsters, completing a four-game sweep of the Hershey Bears and clinching the AHL's Calder Cup in front of a record crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.

After setting an AHL record with his third overtime goal of the postseason and tying a league record with his sixth game-winner, Bjorkstrand was awarded the Jack Butterfield Trophy for AHL Playoff MVP - finishing the playoffs with ten goals and 16 points in 17 games.

Meanwhile, the Monsters were backstopped by a 23-save shutout from Anton Forsberg, who was nearly unbeatable in the AHL playoffs:

It's the first Calder Cup for the city of Cleveland since 1964, when the Cleveland Barons swept their championship series against the Quebec Aces.

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A playoff defeat can be difficult to rebound from for any goaltender, let alone a rookie, but whenever Matt Murray has taken the ice following a loss in these playoffs, the 22-year-old has been simply dominant.

The Pittsburgh Penguins netminder is sporting a 5-0 record with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in the postseason after a defeat, and head coach Mike Sullivan discussed Murray's veteran-like demeanor with reporters Saturday.

"Well, I think he has a quiet confidence about him," Sullivan said. "I think he believes in himself. He knows he's a good goalie. He has shown a maturity level beyond his years in a lot of ways.

"But probably the most impressive way is just his ability to deal with any of the adversity that he faces along the way," he continued. "If one goes in that he thinks he should have had, he has the ability to stay in the moment, try to make the next save. He's a real competitor. We love that about him."

His ability to calm himself down was certainly evident in Game 5. After the Sharks took a quick 2-0 lead in the opening three minutes, Murray admitted he was "a little jittery" in the first period, but was proud of the way he and his team fought back, despite their 4-2 loss.

"I thought I played really well the last two periods," Murray said, according to Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "As a team, we really settled down after a tough start. We came back, stayed resilient."

Though he hasn't been tested near as much as opposing goalie Martin Jones in the series, Murray has been able quiet the San Jose Sharks' high-powered offense for the majority of the Final, and has backstopped his team within a victory of the Stanley Cup.

With a win in Game 6 on Sunday, Murray would not only clinch his franchise's fourth championship, but he would also break an NHL rookie record with 15 wins in a single playoff year - after starting just 13 games in the regular season.

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As tributes continue to pour in after the loss of Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby spoke to reporters Saturday about what Mr. Hockey meant to him.

"When you think of hockey, that's what you think of. You think of Gordie Howe - the way he played, the way he conducted himself. He was a role model for a lot of people, including myself," Crosby said, according to ESPN's Craig Custance.

"I had the opportunity to meet him and feel pretty fortunate to have done that."

ESPN's Joe McDonald also had a discussion with Crosby about the possibility of the Penguins and San Jose Sharks wearing No. 9 jerseys during warmups prior to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, and No. 87 said "he's all for it" and would ask the league if they could make that happen.

Crosby wore No. 9 in honor of Howe for a season, while playing at Shattuck-St. Mary's Boarding School in Minnesota as a 15-year-old.

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