8 key statistics ahead of Game 1 between the Pens and Sharks
Here we go.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final begins at 8 p.m. ET on Monday night. Here are eight important statistics ahead of puck drop in Pittsburgh between the San Jose Sharks and Penguins.
-125
The Penguins are favored over the Sharks, according to Bodog, though most hockey experts - including those at theScore - have the Sharks raising the Stanley Cup.
78%
The Stanley Cup Final became a best-of-seven affair in 1939. Since then, the team that wins Game 1 has won the series 78 percent of the time.
15
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are both making their third appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. They each have 15 points, the fewest either player has recorded heading into the fourth and final round.
Joe Thornton has 15 assists heading into the Cup Final, making him one of only four players 35 or older to record at least 15 assists in a playoff year. He's in good company: Jean Beliveau, Larry Robinson, and Steve Yzerman are the other three.
If the Penguins win the Stanley Cup and Matt Murray records four wins, he'll end up with 15 wins, tying Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, and Cam Ward for the record for most wins by a rookie goalie in a single postseason.
(Courtesy: @SanJoseSharks)
17-1
The two clubs are a combined 17-1 when leading after two periods this postseason. The Sharks are undefeated at 8-0, while the Pens are 9-1.
1-2
The Sharks and Penguins are the highest-scoring teams in the playoffs. San Jose's averaging a league-best 3.50 goals per game this spring, while the Pens are second at 3.22.
Thornton and Patrick Marleau were drafted first and second overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, and both are making their first appearances in the Stanley Cup Final, in Pittsburgh, as it happens. Symmetry.
20,342
If this series goes the distance and the Sharks end up losing, they'll have a good excuse: fatigue. San Jose's logged 20,342 miles in the air during the postseason, more than double the Penguins' 9,614. Pittsburgh hasn't played a game in the Pacific since early December.
3-0
The Sharks are the fourth team based in California to make the Stanley Cup Final since 2007, joining the 2007 Anaheim Ducks and the 2012 and 2014 Los Angeles Kings. California-based teams are 3-0 in the finals since 2007.
1
This is the first time the Sharks will play for the Stanley Cup, making it their first-ever playoff meeting with the Penguins.
Starting goaltenders Matt Murray and Martin Jones will make their first Stanley Cup Final appearances, too.
- With h/t to ESPN Stats & Information and NHL Public Relations