Pens win from Cup after bounce back Game 4

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Bounce-back performances from two key players moved the Penguins to the brink of winning the Stanley Cup.

Evgeni Malkin scored his first goal of the series and Matt Murray made 23 saves after a shaky Game 3 to lead the Penguins to a 3-1 victory over the Sharks on Monday night for a 3-1 series lead.

Malkin woke up after being held pointless in the first three games of the series by setting up Ian Cole’s goal to open the scoring. He added one of his own on the power play to give Murray all the support needed.

Eric Fehr sealed it with a late goal after San Jose made a strong push in the third.

Two nights after allowing a soft game-tying goal to Joel Ward, Murray was steady throughout to put the Pen- guins one win from skating off with their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. They can do it at home in Game 5 on Thursday night.

“Just keep doing what we’re doing. Obviously we know what’s at stake,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “We don’t have to change a thing, just keep playing the same way we’re playing and the results will take care of themselves.”

The Sharks were unable to build on their first win in the final, allowing the first goal for the fourth straight game and going more than nine minutes without a shot on goal during one stretch of the second period. San Jose will need to win in Pittsburgh to give its loyal fans who waited 25 years to watch the Stanley Cup Final in the Bay Area another home game.

Melker Karlsson scored the lone goal and Martin Jones made 17 saves for San Jose.

The story for the Penguins after their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3 was how to get Malkin going after a slow start to the series. And how would the rookie Murray respond after giving up the soft goal to Ward and the winner to Joonas Donskoi.

Both passed with flying colors.

Malkin was energized from the start, helping setting up the first goal and then tapping in the second off a feed from Phil Kessel for Pittsburgh’s first power-play goal of the series.

“You try to just stay with it. You just try to make sure you execute,” Crosby said. “We had a really good first one, generated a lot of chances. I think that built some confidence. We got a great play from Phil and Geno there to get us a big goal.”

Murray wasn’t tested often early and went nearly the first half of the second period without facing a single shot. But the Sharks made a strong push after that, and he robbed Logan Couture late in the second.