Burns, Sharks vow to keep shooting in Cup Final

SAN JOSE -- No player attempted more shots in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final than San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns.
Burns pulled the trigger 17 times during the Sharks' 3-2 overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center on Saturday. Of those 17, four reached goaltender Matt Murray, one went wide, and 12 were blocked by the Penguins.

That was theme for the night for Pittsburgh, which blocked 38 shots overall. But Burns never seemed to get discouraged and kept firing away. He said he could not recall if he ever had that many shots blocked in a game.
"Hopefully not," Burns said. "They're doing a great job. They're sacrificing, getting in the lanes, and our forwards are doing a great job of it too. I think there's a reason why both teams are here. They're laying it on the line, and we'll try to get it around them and we'll see."

The Sharks trail the best-of-7 series 2-1 with Game 4 here Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports). They hope to have some momentum after winning a Cup Final game for the first time in their history.
A positive for the Sharks was all of those blocked shots meant they had puck in the Penguins end a lot and were getting more chances to shoot. That was a notable difference from much of the first two games in Pittsburgh.
The Sharks would like to put even more shots on Murray after getting 26 in Game 3 but feel they will get through eventually if they play the same way.
"We're just going to keep shooting," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "They do a good job of blocking shots. We're going to keep shooting. There's no way around that. Just keep shooting and try to wear them down, try to find a hole. I think we did that a couple times tonight."

Defenseman Justin Braun's goal, which tied the game 1-1 at 9:34 of the first period, came on a well-placed right-point shot over a sliding block attempt from Patric Hornqvist. Joel Ward was fortunate on his goal that tied the game 2-2 with 11:12 remaining in the third period, finding an open lane with time to wind up on a slap shot.
Burns' persistence nearly paid off when he got two shots through to Murray in overtime, equaling the number he had through regulation. One led to a rebound chance for Joe Thornton in front and nearly the winning goal in the opening minute.
"You try to get it by the first guy and if it's a second and third, you hope it bounces somewhere else," Burns said. "They're doing a good job. It's my job to try to get it by those guys and create stuff."
If that fails, Burns has another theory.
"Hopefully, they run out of sticks soon," he said. "Try to break their [stick] budget. We'll see."