Bonino, Letang show up in time to lead Penguins past Sharks
PITTSBURGH — They didn’t practice, but when it came time to play, Nick Bonino and Kris Letang sure showed up.
The two nicked-up Pittsburgh Penguins teamed up for the game-winning goal Monday as Bonino took Letang’s pass inside the left face-off circle, found himself one-on-one with San Jose goalie Martin Jones, and slipped the puck past Jones’ left side and into the net with 2:33 remaining in regulation to give the Penguins a 3-2 win in front of 18,596 at the Consol Energy Center and a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
When neither Bonino nor Letang skated Sunday as they deal with undisclosed injuries, there was speculation they might not be able to go in the Cup opener. But Letang said after the morning skate Monday he was good to go and he proved to be right. He played a team-high 27 minutes, 48 seconds Monday, most of which were quality minutes.
He made a hustle play going deep into the Sharks’ end and kept the play alive. As Letang was drawing the attention of the San Jose defense, Bonino skated into some open space in the hopes Letang would find him.
He did and Bonino, who also vowed he would be ready to go Monday, took care of the rest.
“I came into the zone a little late, I saw Tanger (Letang) in the corner battling,” Bonino said. “I wasn’t sure whether I should have gotten out of there, But Tanger found me. It was a great pass, and while it wasn’t my hardest shot, it went in.”
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was proud of Bonino’s effort.
“He’s a terrific player and we use him in so many key situations, both offensively and defensively,” Sullivan said. “He has a high hockey IQ and he’s an important part of our team.”
The Sharks had battled back from a 2-0 deficit after the Penguins’ Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary scored 62 seconds apart in the first period. Tomas Hertl’s power play goal early in the second period cut it to 2-1 and Patrick Marleau’s wrap-around past Matt Murray late in the period got San Jose even.
The Penguins had to deal with losing Rust in the third period after Marleau caught him in the head with an open-ice hit just inside the San Jose blue line. Marleau was given a minor penalty and Sullivan said Rust is day-to-day.
Both teams had great opportunities to take the lead but either the goaltenders came up big or those who had the puck on their stick were unable to deliver.
Until Bonino, that is.
“I’m trying to stay even-keeled and stay in the moment,” said Bonino, who has four goals in the playoffs. “It makes it easier to make plays when you’re playing that way.”
The Penguins had one last issue to deal with as Ben Lovejoy was sent off for hooking with 2:09 to play. The Sharks pulled Jones and had a 6-on-4 advantage for the final 1:15 of the power play. But San Jose never got the quality chance it needed to force overtime and coach Peter DeBoer said it was an opportunity lost.
“They came out moving which is what you would expect playing at home,” DeBoer said. “We were standing around and watching. I liked the way we played in the second period but we didn’t play as well for enough stretches in the third.”
For the Penguins, who outshot the Sharks 41-26, it’s one down and three to go as they’ll look to keep the momentum going Wednesday.
“We have to continue to use our speed and embrace the moment and challenge each other and enjoy this opportunity we have,” Sullivan said.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow on Twitter: @stevecarprj
