Kessel, Penguins look to close out Sharks in Game 5

“Honestly, the biggest thing is you try not to think about too much other than playing the game”, Cullen said. “You look at our D, they’re the ones that have to continually go back and take hits from those big guys”. I think our players are well aware of it. We have that experience to draw on.

Ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr said at January’s All-Star Game that he felt he is a better player now, at 44, than he was during his Hart Trophy years in the late 90s. I don’t think it’s necessary. “We’ve worked our butts off to get here”. The most effective way to get there is to make sure that our focus is on the task at hand. “We have a lot of good leadership in the room and a lot of guys who’ve been through a lot”. You think the Sharks want any part of sharing that record? We believe in the guys we have, and we haven’t given our best game yet.

The San Jose Sharks have been the NHL’s ultimate road warrior this season and will need to pack their A-game when they travel to Pittsburgh to the face the Penguins Thursday in what could be the Stanley Cup decider.

The impact of Mike Sullivan on this team can not be overstated.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan calls it “playing the right way”, something he challenged Kessel and his high-profile teammates to do since taking over in mid-December.

The Penguins were a rejuvenated team and they went 33-16-5 under Sullivan and were the hottest team in the National Hockey League after the All-Star Break.

Marleau, who has played a combined 1,580 regular-season and playoff games for the Sharks, would be the headliner from a group of possible departures.

“Each individual is different, every team is different, but there is that mental element that ‘OK, there goes one game and they have some momentum and they’re pushing and getting better”.

The story for the Penguins after their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3 was how to get Malkin going after a slow start to the series.

I remember a time when there was panic on what was next when it came to the Penguins General Manager position. They deserve the credit.

It’s not as though the Sharks’ top players aren’t working hard in this series.

THE FALLOUT: On the surface, the respective deals for the three young forwards – all 25 and under – barely caused a ripple when they were announced. “And that’s how we looked at it”. Right now we are in the hole we are in where a goal or two probably changes the outcome.

One of the factors limiting Pavelski’s effectiveness has been Pittsburgh’s propensity to block shots. Crosby has used his lightning fast speed in combination with his excellent stick-handling and his unbelievable passing ability to make the plays that count for his team.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Wednesday that the city of Pittsburgh passed a “Will of Council” to allow the renaming of Murray Avenue to Matt Murray Ave. ahead of what could be the Stanley Cup-clinching game for the Penguins on Thursday night. “If we can take lead, maybe things open up for us”. “We took the approach of, ‘Why not us?”

“That’s what we tried to do today”. “If we find a way to win this game, it brings a little bit of life into us. And then we’ll ask people to go home nicely”. “I think some years you hear it, other years you don’t”. We can always get better and improve. She made a decision to check it out – but the moment she stepped in the building the opposing team scored, and she said “I’m out of here”. “You just have to keep going”.