Let's call Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final what it was. The Martin Jones game.
Objectively speaking the Penguins dominated the Sharks.
Martin Jones stopped 44 out of the 46 shots he faced. Matt Murray stopped four shots out of the seven he faced in the first period.
That was the game in a nutshell.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had 67 shot attempts to the San Jose Sharks 30 attempts. I literally have no problems with how the Penguins played.
The result is going to leave a bad taste for people who support the Pittsburgh Penguins but you have to trust the process on something like this. Just look at this.
That's the most high danger scoring chances at even strength the Sharks have allowed in a game since the data is available (2005).
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 10, 2016
Martin Jones is 1st goalie in expansion era to make 40+ saves in multiple wins in a #StanleyCup Final. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/mMo0skiQuh
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 10, 2016
Martin Jones' 44 saves are most in a regulation win when facing elimination in Stanley Cup Final since expansion in 1968 (via @EliasSports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 10, 2016
Sometimes you just have to shrug your shoulders and move on. Pittsburgh earned their 3-1 series lead and that affords them losing a game like this. It isn't panic time. It isn't point the finger and blame time. It's get on the plane and do the same thing time.
Pittsburgh is still in a great spot.
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New Hockey Hurts Podcast discusses the "Martin Jones game". You can find that here
Thanks for reading!