2016 Stanley Cup: 3 things to watch for in Penguins-Sharks Game 2

The Sharks have to find a way to slow down the Penguins and get a few more power plays

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the early lead in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final thanks to their 3-2 win in a wildly entertaining Game 1 that was played at an incredible pace for 60 minutes. As soon as we knew that this was going to be the matchup in this series, the speed of both teams became one of the immediate focal points. The first game did not disappoint.

Now they get to do it again in Game 2.

Here are three things to watch for on Wednesday night.

1. How the Sharks try to slow down Sidney Crosby. Even though the Game 1 box score shows that Sidney Crosby had just a single assist in the game (and it was a beauty to set up Conor Sheary for the Penguins' second goal) he was easily the most noticeable player every single time he was on the ice. The puck appeared to be glued to his stick on every shift as he created chance after chance for the Penguins.

The Sharks go-to defense pairing this postseason when it comes to shutting down the other team's best players has been the Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun pairing. They have been, for the most part, dominant when it comes stopping the likes of Filip Forsberg, James Neal and Vladimir Tarasenko. As expected, they saw the most action against Crosby in Game 1. Crosby spent more than nine of his 16 even-strength minutes going up against that pairing, including the shift that resulted in the Sheary goal as Crosby beat Braun in the corner with a quick turn that allowed him to get off a slick backhand pass to set up the goal.

When it comes to the forward usage against Crosby, Melker Karlsson, Chris Tierney and Joel Ward got most of the action against him and it did not go well for the Sharks. When Crosby was on the ice against those three forwards the shot on goal numbers were 5-0 in favor of the Penguins while 75 percent of the total shot attempts went in their favor. That is not ideal.

This is a tough thing to balance for Peter DeBoer and the Sharks. If Crosby plays the way he did in Game 1 it is only going to be a matter of time until more pucks end up in the back of the net, and you can not really load up against his line in an effort to shut it down because the Penguins' second and third lines can be just as dominant.

You can probably expect to see Vlasic and Braun getting as many Crosby matchups as possible, but if Game 1 is any indicator that probably have to avoid getting Karlsson, Tierney and Ward on the ice against him.

Sidney Crosby was on top of his game for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1. USATSI

2. Bryan Rust's availability for the Penguins. When you think of the Penguins Bryan Rust probably isn't one of the first 10 names on their roster that will pop into your head. But he has been a big contributor this postseason (and especially recently with four goals in his past three games) and seems to have found a home on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz.

Rust was injured in the third period of Game 1 when he was on the receiving end of a big hit from Sharks forward Patrick Marleau that resulted in a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head. Rust briefly returned after that before eventually leaving the game for good. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the game he is "day-to-day" with an upper body injury. His status for Game 2 is not yet known, but he was on the ice for the morning skate.

Marleau received no further discipline for the hit other than the two-minute penalty.

In more than 70 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time together this postseason, the Malkin-Rust-Kunitz line has outscored teams by an 8-0 margin. That is significant, especially when the other lines on the team feature Crosby, and then the HBK line.

3. The Penguins have to keep the Sharks power play off the ice. The Sharks started to turn things around after a slow start in Game 1 early in the second period when Tomas Hertl's power play goal put them on the board. Their power play is perhaps their greatest strength and can change a game any time it is on the ice. It is clicking at a 28 percent pace this postseason.

The best way to shut it down? Do not give it a chance to do anything, something the Penguins were pretty successful at in Game 1 when they gave the Sharks just two opportunities. Over the Penguins' past eight playoff games going back to the start of the Eastern Conference finals they have had to play shorthanded only 15 times. Some sort of NHL conspiracy at work? No. Just a reflection of the Penguins' ability to control the puck (they have outshot Tampa Bay and San Jose 310-204 over those eight games). When you have the puck, you're not as likely to take penalties as the team that is trying to defend.

The Sharks know the key to slowing down the Penguins is making sure they control the puck, make the Penguins defend in their own zone, and not given them an opportunity to create speed through the neutral zone.

That is also the best way to draw a few more power plays.