It took 18 years, but it finally happened. The Pittsburgh Penguins knocked off the San Jose Sharks 5-1 at the SAP. The last time San Jose lost to the Pens on home ice Jaromir Jagr still had a mullet and Patrick Marleau was a fresh-faced rookie.
Phil Kessel scored a pair, Evgeni Malkin had a beautiful wraparound goal to go with his two assists, and the Penguins won for the first time in San Jose since Oct. 22, 1997.
It was the fifth time this season the Sharks have allowed five or more goals and the second time in three games (5-2 loss to CHI on 11/25). It was the first time all season the supposed high-flying Penguins reached the five-goal threshold.
Pittsburgh earned a split of the two-game season series with the Sharks. San Jose won 3-1 at Consol Energy Center on Nov. 21.
It was definitely not a pretty game for San Jose and one head coach Pete Deboer is going to want his team to put behind them fast.
Five chunks to chew on....
1. Martin Jones did not have a good game. He was beaten early on a bad luck deflection off Paul Martin's skate and that was all the Pens would need. Jones was off his game from there on out. He began overcompensating badly. Matt Cullen and Evegeni Malkin made him pay for it. I chalk this up to one of those learning experiences a young goalie needs to reach his full potential. I'll be curious how he responds in his next start. The Sharks don't play again until Friday. That's a long time to sit on a rotten egg.
2. Tomas Hertl is a beast when he's angry. I'm going to start calling him “The Hulk.… Opponents should avoid making him mad, because they won't like him when he's mad. Too bad we have seen more Bruce Banner than Hulk. 3. Patrick Marleau is still a Shark and he is still scoring goals. Take a moment to appreciate him while you still can.
4. Sidney Crosby was held without a point and just one shot on goal. The Sharks did a good job of making him a non-factor. Really, the only thing I can recall about his entire game is that he forget to shave taht awful Movember stache.
5. Finally, Mike Brown was a minus-1 in just over 10 minutes of ice time. You're Welcome.
5B. The Sharks continue to struggle at home. The have lost four of the last five at SAP and are 4-7 overall in their own barn. Ouch.
Thanks for reading, Steve