PITTSBURGH — For the first time since their last Stanley Cup win in 2009, the Penguins held off the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in front of a raucous Consol Energy Center crowd on Thursday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. It happened exactly seven years to the day since their last Eastern Conference title when they swept the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the Penguins first game 7 win in Consol Energy Center history. It also kept the Penguins a perfect 7-0 when winning game 6 to force a game 7.
As is usually the case, there are plenty of reasons why the Penguins were able to advance. Sidney Crosby had three game-winning goals in the series, including his first playoff overtime winning goal. Evgeni Malkin continually got stronger throughout the series, and even though he didn’t score frequently, he was the Penguins best forward in terms of driving offensive play. Kris Letang, who righted the ship after an awful game 5 performance to score a pivotal game 6 goal, provided some great two-way play over the final two games of this series. Let’s not forget Coach Mike Sullivan and his ability to continually get his team ready for big games and exorcise the demons that have plagued the Penguins in recent memory.
All of the people mentioned played a pivotal role in the Penguins advancing. They are folks expected to come up large each game and each series. That said, a lot of relatively unsung heroes are the real reason the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing for their first Stanley Cup in seven years.
Conor Sheary
After having a very good opening series against the Rangers where he found his spot alongside Sidney Crosby on the first line, Conor Sheary had trailed off a bit this postseason. Mike Sullivan did not play him for the entire third period in Game 3, and he was a healthy scratch in favor of Beau Bennett in game 5. The day off seemed to do wonders for Sheary as he looked fast on his skates in game 6 and game 7, and created scoring chances from his aggressive forechecking. He also made a nice play on Kris Letang’s goal in game 6 that gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead. His ability to find a spot next to Crosby and remain productive has been huge for the ‘balanced lineup’ that Mike Sullivan wants.
Olli Maatta
It feels odd putting Olli Maatta on this list. He is considered one of the Penguins brightest prospects on the blue line. He inked a new six-year deal this season, but the majority of 2015-16 has not been friendly to Maatta. He has looked slow for the better part of this season, and he was making questionable decisions this postseason. His play during parts of the Capitals series and early on against Tampa Bay led Mike Sullivan to play Justin Schultz ahead of him. When Trevor Daley broke his ankle late in Game 4, Sullivan came back to Maatta with confidence. It appeared having three games off really helped Maatta. He looked faster on the ice. He was defensively sound in his own end, and he joined rushes and created offense. He registered two assists in the final three games he played, and his stretch pass to Evgeni Malkin in game 7 led to Bryan Rust’s game-winning goal. What could have been a huge void with Trevor Daley’s injury turned into a redemption tour for Olli Maatta.
Matt Murray
When Matt Murray took over for Marc-Andre Fleury in March, not even his staunchest supporters could have expected this type of performance from the 22-year-old. After missing the first two games of the Rangers series due to a head injury, Murray came in to win three straight games. He then outplayed Vezina Trophy candidate Braden Holtby to lead the Penguins past the Capitals. He seemed to be the choice for the Penguins this postseason. However, when he struggled a bit in game 4 against the Lightning, Sullivan replaced him with Fleury during the 3rd period and a goalie controversy was born. Fleury would start game 5, but he would lose in overtime, and he looked shaky throughout. Murray was called upon by Mike Sullivan to finish the series, and he did just that. He stopped 44 of 47 shots through game 6 and game 7, and he helped lead the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals. Overall this postseason, his record is 11-4 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average. He is looking to match Cam Ward’s rookie playoff win record at 15. He is also looking to join Cam Ward, Ken Dryden, and Patrick Roy as the only rookie goaltenders to lead their teams to a Stanley Cup victory.
Bryan Rust
Trying to find the right superlatives to describe Bryan Rust this postseason are almost impossible to do. He, like Conor Sheary, was another mid-season call-up by Mike Sullivan from Wilkes-Barre to provide a shot in the arm to the team. He has some tremendous speed, which complements the current system, but he has been ‘Mr. Clutch’ this spring. His ability to find a home next to Evgeni Malkin allowed Sullivan to leave the Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel line intact. He had two goals and an assist in game 5 against the Rangers, which helped to closeout that series. He was the one that setup Sidney Crosby for the overtime game-winning goal in game 3 against the Lightning. He cemented the game away in game 6 of this series as he scored a pretty breakaway goal to quell the Lightning comeback in the 3rd period. And, of course, he scored the only two goals in a pivotal game 7 last night to closeout the Tampa Bay Lightning. He joins a short list of Penguins players to score two goals in a game 7 – Max Talbot, Sidney Crosby, and Jan Hrdina. His five goals by a rookie so far this postseason ties Michel Briere (1970) for most by a Penguins player.
Much is made of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang’s performance each game, but the truth is that all 19 players need to show up to win during the postseason. Patric Hornqvist spoke about this postgame. “It’s hard in the playoffs for [Malkin] and [Crosby] to make things happen,” Hornqvist said. “They are always double-covered and always playing against the best [defense]. We need other guys to step up.”
And, Mike Sullivan may have summed this up best during his postgame conference. “I believe we evolved into a team in the truest sense of the word,” Sullivan said. “One of the things I really loved about this game is that it took every single man in the lineup tonight to win, and everybody made a significant contribution to help us win.”
After going through so many ups and downs this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to cap off their magical season as they take on the San Jose Sharks. Game 1 will be Monday night in Pittsburgh. If they do manage to bring home their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history, look for an unsung hero to be a big reason why.
