Though the Stanley Cup Final is just two games old, it already feels like the Pittsburgh Penguins have the San Jose Sharks against the ropes.
The Penguins stormed out of the gate with two wins in front of their home crowd and pressure now rests on the Sharks. The series will now shift to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 where the Sharks will need to reload.
Related: 5 teams that won the Stanley Cup after losing first 2 games of Final
Here is what the Sharks need to do to win Saturday night's Game 3 and start to turn the tide:
Start peppering Murray
While the scoreboard might indicate the Sharks have only lost by one goal in each game, that doesn't mean they've been an even two contests.
The Sharks have been outshot 71-48 through two games, while challenging Matt Murray very little. In fact, the Penguins goaltender has only been peppered with double-digit shots in one period so far - the second frame of Game 1 - and conceded two of his three goals against in the series during that period.
Heading into the Final, Murray had averaged 29 shots against per game, but he's now seeing five fewer shots per game on average. While the 22-year-old's had an incredible first playoffs, things aren't supposed to get easier in the Stanley Cup Final.
If the Sharks want to start putting pucks past Murray, they need to start making him work. Fewer than 10 shots a period is not going to cut it.
Get under the Penguins' skin
Entering the final round of the postseason, the Sharks' bread and butter appeared to be their incendiary power play.
However, through two games, the Sharks have had just three power plays to work with. That's not a product of being in the referees' bad graces, but rather not doing enough to warrant a penalty against.
The Sharks have struggled to take the puck to the Penguins' goal, and as the shot totals suggest, they have not possessed the puck enough to push the Penguins into attacking and in turn taking a penalty.
The Sharks still own the second-best power play in the postseason, firing at 27.3 percent, and in order to take advantage of the club's strong special teams, they need to get under the Penguins' skin.
Forcing Pittsburgh into penalties and pushing back against the Eastern giants will allow San Jose to start getting back to what's made it so successful all playoffs.
Don't change too much
While having their backs against the wall might have the Sharks questioning what they have to do to get back into the series, the answer could very well be not much at all.
Game 2 saw Tomas Hertl hit the post on three occasions, and Chris Tierney fired a wicked wrister off the crossbar in the third period on a solo rush.
If one or two of those chances had gone off the post and in instead of out, then heading into Game 3 the mood might be very different. While the Sharks were heavily outshot in the first two games, the hockey gods - and Martin Jones - have still kept them in games.
The Sharks need to start shooting more and need to force their opponents' hand, but these are things we saw them accomplish in their previous series en route to the Cup Final.
The Sharks don't necessarily have to change much of their game, just get back to what made them successful and stay the course.
