Sheary Gm 2 2016

During the next few weeks AT&T SportsNet will be airing a series of "Pittsburgh Penguins Classic" content. That includes re-airing the Penguins' four victories against San Jose in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final (Games 1, 2, 4, 6).
To get you set for these games we've provided a quick preview/recap of the game. Obviously, the Penguins won each game and we've all seen them before. So, we tried to highlight some stuff that you may not remember, or other interesting aspects of the game that may have gone under the radar in the grand scheme of things. It's the type of thing that hindsight can really bring into focus.
Enjoy!
To view all 2016 Stanley Cup Final content, click here.

SETUP: The Penguins won the opening game of the series, 3-2, with a late third-period goal from Nick Bonino. Pittsburgh was looking to defend its home ice in Game 2 and capture a 2-0 lead in the series before making the trip out west.
SUMMARY: The HBK Line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel came through with the game's opening goal in the second period. That tally would hold up until late in the third period. It appeared the Penguins would hold on for a 1-0 win until Justin Braun tied the game with four minutes remaining in regulation. The contest extended into overtime. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby drew up an offensive zone faceoff play that worked to perfection, finishing with rookie Conor Sheary scoring the overtime winner to give Pittsburgh that 2-0 series lead heading to California.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
FIRST PERIOD
16:58: In one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen in over a decade of covering hockey, a cameraman's lens fell off and landed on the ice during play. I remember thinking it was the puck. Also, I've always wondered how this is the first time something like that has happened considering how many cameras there are at every game. And, of course, it occurs during the Stanley Cup Final.

9:58: The Penguins were scrambling in the defensive zone when defenseman Justin Schultz corralled the puck and flipped it (like a punt) out of the zone. This dump/flip tactic was something the Penguins used often after head coach Mike Sullivan took over. The idea was simply to send the puck down the ice and have a speedy forward rush to retrieve it or force the opponents to play the puck before it reached an icing. The HBK Line were masters of this maneuver with Hagelin and Kessel on the wings.
:03: The Sharks played the final seconds of the period with too many men on the ice. No call. San Jose caught a break. So, to all the Detroit Red Wings fans, relax. You can still win a series even if the other team doesn't get called for a penalty when they deploy an extra man.
SECOND PERIOD
17:28: Man, every line for Pittsburgh had incredible speed. On this play fourth-line winger Tom Kuhnhackl outskates Brent Burns to a puck in the offensive zone and gets a shot on net. Linemate Matt Cullen got a great opportunity on the rebound chance, but it all starts with Kuhnhackl's hustle.
11:43: GOAL!! Kessel!! The HBK Line strikes again. You could feel this goal coming. The trio was pressuring hard before San Jose got the puck out of the zone. It was only a brief reprieve as HBK quickly regained the zone and went back to work. Hagelin's work on the forecheck created a turnover and Bonino's shot was deflected by San Jose's Roman Polak. Before the puck crossed the goal line, Kessel chipped it over.

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4:42: Another display of the Penguins' speed. Pittsburgh is in the defensive zone and a simple chip play created a 2-on-1. That's because Hagelin, who was at his own blue line, raced to retrieve the puck in the neutral zone. Hagelin hit the crossbar on the shot, but his speed and counterattack created the chance.
1:07: San Jose recorded its first shot in a span of 11:10 minutes of play. And it only occurred as Pittsburgh was killing a penalty and Burns teed up a slapshot.
THIRD PERIOD
15:54: Chris Tierney got around a flat-footed Olli Maatta and snapped a shot off the post. It may have been San Jose's best scoring chance of the game.
9:33: HBK (again) created another excellent scoring chance. Hagelin carried the puck, but smartly slowed down to wait for reinforcements. Bonino and Kessel joined to create a 3-on-2. Bonino dropped to Kessel, who hit the post (a lot of posts both ways in this game).
8:40: Kunitz put a harmless shot on net that snapped the Penguins' shot-less drought at 15:12 minutes.
4:05: Goal for San Jose, 1-1. Just a simple shot from Braun with traffic in front. The game really had the feel of a 1-0 win for the Penguins in the making. Braun ended that assumption.
2:11: Sullivan always talks about wanting to roll four lines. During this run he did just that. He didn't hesitate to send out the fourth line regardless of the time or situation. And he proved it by playing his fourth liners this late in the third period of a tied game. Not a lot of coaches would have that much confidence in their fourth lines.
1:01: Hagelin tried to spring Kessel for a breakaway. Unfortunately, the pass was beyond his reach. BUT, Kessel did a fantastic job of hustling to the puck to negate a late icing. In fact, it may have been the fastest I've ever seen Kessel hustle to a loose puck.
:44: Ben Lovejoy had the puck behind his own net with time to step out and make a play. Instead, he tried to rim the puck around and out. The Sharks maintained possession and what ensued was 30 seconds of mayhem. The Penguins were lucky they escaped this sequence unscathed.
OVERTIME
17:25: Offensive zone faceoff. Crosby draws up the play (like a kid drawing up a play in the dirt of the schoolyard), going so far as to even make Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin flip their positioning to their off-sides so Letang would have a better angle to make a pass. Crosby won the draw back to Letang, who found Sheary above the circle. Turning shot: GOAL!!
Game over.
Best part of all of this is Crosby was skating toward the back of the net as the puck goes in. The entire team rushes Sheary while Crosby stands off to the side smiling like a proud father. Crosby then goes to the bench and gives fist bumps to every player as they make their exit. A truly touching moment from the captain.

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