PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Latest on Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins (all times local):
9:55 p.m. EDT
The Sharks shook off what coach Peter DeBoer deemed some early jitters and a 2-0 deficit at the hands of Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary. A goal by Tomas Hertl on the power play got them going, but that was just the start.
San Jose outshot the Penguins 8-1 to begin the second period, and when Pittsburgh recaptured the momentum, goaltender Martin Jones was on his game. After getting skated around for the entire first period, the Sharks showed they can go stride for stride with the Eastern Conference champions.
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9:24 p.m.
Tomas Hertl put the San Jose Sharks right back in Game 1.
Hertl scored on the power play 3:02 into the second period to cut the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lead to 2-1. It was Hertl’s third goal of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With Ian Cole in the box for hooking, the Sharks got contributions from nearly every player on the ice on their first power play. Joel Ward kept the puck in at the blue line and fed it to Brent Burns, who got it to Joonas Donskoi and then Hertl.
Hertl beat Penguins goaltender Matt Murray with a sharp-angle shot.
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9:12 p.m.
The Penguins came out flying and barely let the Sharks have the puck.
Pittsburgh outshot San Jose 15-4 in the first period, including 11-4 at even strength. The Penguins lead 2-0 on goals by Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary and it would’ve been worse if not for quick sticks by San Jose defenders and the play of goaltender Martin Jones.
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8:50 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Penguins scored two goals 62 seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead on the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Bryan Rust scored his fourth goal in his past three games at 12:46. After San Jose’s Justin Braun missed on a pinch, Justin Schultz’s shot banked off Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Rust was crashing the net at the perfect time to beat goalie Martin Jones.
Rust was the Penguins’ hero in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final when he scored twice.
Sidney Crosby set up the Penguins’ second goal when he corralled the puck in the corner and fed Conor Sheary for his third of the playoffs at 13:48. Sheary shot through a screen set by linemate Patric Hornqvist.
After the goal, Colorado Avalanche forward and fellow Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native Nathan MacKinnon tweeted simply, “Sid…”
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8:41 p.m.
Sharks forward Dainius Zubrus provided an early power play for the Penguins, but they were unable to make him pay for his high-sticking penalty. Pittsburgh got four shots on the early power play.
The Sharks won the first five face-offs of the game, but a turnover by Joe Pavelski gave Pittsburgh a quality scoring chance.
Off the ice, Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup hero Max Talbot got a rousing standing ovation from the crowd. Talbot is headed to the Kontinental Hockey League next season.
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8:22 p.m.
The puck has been dropped for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
San Jose put their top line of Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton on the ice, and Pittsburgh responded with captain Sidney Crosby between Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist. Crosby and Kunitz were part of the Penguins’ last Cup-champion team back in 2009.
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7:50 p.m.
Goaltenders Matt Murray of Pittsburgh and Martin Jones of San Jose led their teams onto the ice at Consol Energy Center for warmups prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The 22-year-old Murray and 26-year-old Jones are starting in the final for the first time. Jones backed up Jonathan Quick with the Los Angeles Kings when they won it all in 2012.
Matt Nieto’s on the ice for San Jose. The forward hasn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 6 of the Sharks’ second-round series against Nashville.
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6:58 p.m.
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang says he is good to go for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against San Jose despite not skating the past two days.
Letang brushed off any concern about the injury, while center Nick Bonino also gave the thumbs up for the series opener after blocking a shot in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Letang has averaged 28:46 minutes a game for the Penguins during the playoffs.
After facing 2015 Conn Smythe runner-up Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning last round, Letang goes up against Norris Trophy finalist Brent Burns in the final.
Letang says Burns is an unbelievable defenseman. Burns’ 20 points lead all defensemen in the playoffs.
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