Our latest trip around the NHL is a nightmare for Flyers fans, but reality is what it is. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the driver's seat in the Stanley Cup Final and on the cusp of a fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
A 3-1 win in Game 4 for the Penguins put them ahead in the series 3-1 as well. Game 5 between the Penguins and San Jose Sharks is on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. All three of the Penguins previous Stanley Cup titles were clinched on the road.
First, a Game 4 recap with a quick nod to Game 3.
The Sharks were able to rally back twice in Game 3 with goals by Justin Braun and Joel Ward to force overtime. That's where Joonas Donskoi made it a series again with an overtime winner, bringing the series result to 2-1.
But in Game 4, the Penguins got out to an early lead on the first career playoff goal for Ian Cole and padded that lead with an early second-period power-play goal by Evgeni Malkin to make it 2-0.
The Sharks started to bring pressure in the third and finally capitalized with a goal by Melker Karlsson midway through the period to breathe some life into the SAP Center.
But with just over two minutes to play in regulation and with the Sharks desperately searching for the equalizer, a defensive breakdown led to a 2-on-1 chance with Eric Fehr finishing off the Sharks with a goal. Just like that, the Penguins had a stranglehold on the series.
Here's the reality I've come to learn from 3-1 or even 3-0 series deficits: after the third loss, that's when reality just starts to set in and you essentially start to brace yourself for what is to come. So brace yourselves, Flyers fans, because the Penguins need just one win to become Stanley Cup champions and have three chances to get it, two on home ice.
Granted, nothing is impossible, but as Game 4 unfolded, it simply looked like the Penguins had the greater desire to win and the Sharks had lost their mojo.
The Sharks are a team that has had to defy the odds enough already this season. They finished third in the Pacific Division and drew the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. Not many people gave them a shot in the first round, let alone making a run like this.
They handled the Kings easily, then had to battle the upstart Nashville Predators through a grueling seven-game series before also taking care of the St. Louis Blues in six games.
But the Sharks had yet to face a team like the Penguins, even playing in the challenging Western Conference. There really is no team out there that can match the speed the Penguins have. Add in tremendous scoring depth and a high skill level from so many players and you have a team that is so well constructed that it's hard to not see them finding success.
It didn't always appear that way for the Penguins, but they put all the right pieces in place. They timed their call-ups from the minors well, they added wily, tough veterans to the mix to fill the perfect roles and they balanced out the stars in the lineup with complementary players.
But the real change that was necessary and made all the difference came on Dec. 12. That was the day the Penguins hired Mike Sullivan to replace Mike Johnston. From that point on, the Penguins not only brought a potent offense to the rink night in and night out, but also became a stronger defensive team. The Penguins record reflected the positive influence Sullivan was having.
When Johnston was fired, the Penguins had a 15-10-3 record with 33 points in the standings. After Sullivan took over, they finished the season 33-16-5 with 71 points in their final 54 games. In the playoffs, they have a 15-7 record and have lost two straight games only once during their run.
Between the way GM Jim Rutherford constructed this team and the way Sullivan has coached it, if an executive and head coach could be presented with the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, then they should. But when looking at the play on the ice, the biggest constant for the Penguins has been the play of Matt Murray.
Murray is without a doubt the Penguins most valuable player to this run. In 20 total playoff games for the Penguins, Murray has won 14 of the 15 that have the Penguins where they are. He has also lost five games during the playoffs and very quickly after, helped shape the Penguins run. In all five cases where Murray has lost in the playoffs, he has bounced back in the next start with a win.
The Penguins only case of back-to-back losses in the playoffs came when Marc-Andre Fleury started over Murray in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins started Murray in Games 6 and 7 and won both. Lesson learned.
He may be fresh off his 22nd birthday but Murray is playing like a veteran with as many years under his belt as regular-season games Murray has played. Murray has played in 13 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he has now started in 19 games.
Thursday will be his 20th, and it may be the last game that the Penguins need to play and the last game the NHL sees until October.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
