Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks
The Penguins needed all of seven games and the efforts of two rookies to put away the Tampa Bay Lightning to get here. For much of the playoff run, it's been all Matt Murray, as he's been the hot hand that Mike Sullivan has ridden. While Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin haven't been superstar players this playoff year, it's been a team effort led by the HBK line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel, with some timely scoring from unlikely players such as Bryan Rust thrown in. Defensively, how the Penguins manage the loss of Trevor Daley will determine how the Penguins will hold up in front of Murray.
The Sharks needed six games to beat St. Louis and finally get to a Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in four tries. Martin Jones has been solid in net, putting into practice what he learned from Jonathan Quick in the 2014 playoff run. No player has been more important to his team this playoff year than Joe Pavelski, who has been the best player so far. Joel Ward, Logan Couture, and company up front are providing solid support at forward while Brent Burns continues to lead the way defensively.
Prediction: Sharks in 7
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