Cup in sight, but Pens not looking ahead
While city abuzz, team keeps focus on task at hand
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ plan heading into Thursday’s potential Stanley Cup-clinching game is to remember that the late Yogi Berra was right. It’s not over until it’s over. While Pittsburgh fans bubble over about the possibility of celebrating an NHL championship for the first time on home ice, the Penguins are focused on approaching Game 5 against the San Jose Sharks (8 p.m. ET, NBC) with the same mind-set they have employed since the playoffs began two months ago.
“When you are looking too far in the future, it really takes away from what you are doing at the present time,” Penguins defenseman Ian Cole said. “For us right now, it’s important to live in the moment. That’s something that (coach Mike Sullivan) has been preaching for a while now.”
Distractions are everywhere. The city is buzzing. Many businesses have “Go Pens” placards visible in storefronts. It seems as if everybody is trying to find a ticket. As of 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, tickets were on sale for $1,148 to $10,000 at Ticketexchange.com.
“We only want to think about the game,” Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “That’s the only thing we are talking about.”
The Penguins’ three Stanley Cup championships were won in Bloomington, Minn. (1991), Chicago (1992) and Detroit (2009).
“When you talk about biggest games in Pittsburgh in the last 50 years, this game is in the conversa- tion,” said Joe Starkey, talk radio host for Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan.
With a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series, the Penguins have looked dominant. But each of their wins has come in a tight game. One win came from Nick Bonino’s goal in the closing minutes of regulation. Another came on Conor Sheary’s overtime tally. Game 4 wasn’t sealed until Eric Fehr scored an insurance goal with 2:02 left in regulation.
“We have to keep a level head,” Pittsburgh winger Chris Kunitz said. “You have to keep it from becoming a roller-coaster ride.”
It’s easy for Pittsburgh fans to get ahead of themselves. Out of 32 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in a Cup Final, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only one to come back to win the Stanley Cup.
In this series, the Penguins have scored first in every game and the Sharks have never played with a lead. San Jose earned its only win in overtime.
But this Sharks squad had the NHL’s best road record (28-10-3) in the regular season. San Jose also has won 13 playoff games this spring.
“I think the results are closer than it feels right now,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “We had some good looks. We’ve got to give ourselves an opportunity that if they stumble we’re going to jump on it.”
The Sharks were loose in practice Wednesday. “I would have been worried had they come in quiet or dragging a little bit,” DeBoer said.
The Penguins understand what it takes to come from behind in a series. They trailed 3-2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final before winning Games 6 and 7.
“We had our backs against the wall against Tampa Bay,” Kunitz said. “We know how tough it is to get that last win. We are telling ourselves this has to be our best game.”
Captain Sidney Crosby said the Penguins had a good read on the Sharks.
“We know the last four games have been tough games,” he said. “We know the next game will be the toughest. I think guys have kept things in perspective. We know we have some work left.”