5 questions facing the Sharks in Game 5

The San Jose Sharks have plenty of concerns as they prepare for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

The Penguins lead the series 3-1, and aside from allowing Joonas Donskoi's overtime winner in Game 3, Pittsburgh hasn't trailed at any point in the final.

Here's a handful of questions facing the Sharks as they attempt to extend the series.

Can the stars break through?

San Jose's offensively gifted players have dominated the 2016 playoffs, but they've been shut down by the Penguins.

Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Brent Burns have combined for only one goal in the final - Marleau's marker in Game 1.

Pavelski is still at a point-per-game pace in the postseason, but he's been held off the scoresheet entirely in all four Cup Final games. Couture was on a historic pace through three rounds, but has only a pair of assists in the last four contests.

The Sharks need more production from their top point producers.

Can the NHL's best road team win a game in Pittsburgh?

San Jose's 28-10-3 record away from SAP Center was the best regular-season road mark in the NHL, and the series shifts back to Pittsburgh for Game 5.

The Sharks defeated the Penguins in their only regular-season meeting at Consol Energy Center in November, but the Penguins held serve at home in Games 1 and 2 of the final.

Without the benefit of home-ice advantage, the Sharks needed to win on the road at some point in the series, and after losing Game 4 in San Jose, a win away from the Shark Tank is now even more imperative.

Can they overcome the odds?

Since the Stanley Cup Final went to a best-of-seven format in 1939, only one team - the 1941-42 Toronto Maple Leafs - has come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win, falling behind 3-0 in the series before stunning the Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

Teams that have held a 3-1 series lead in the Cup Final have won the championship 31 out of 32 times.

That doesn't bode well for the Sharks, but they do have a couple of more recent sources of inspiration, including one involving their opponent.

Can Martin Jones steal one?

Goaltending hasn't been much of a storyline in the series. Both netminders have played well, but neither Penguins goalie Matt Murray nor Martin Jones of the Sharks has stolen a game on their own.

Jones has allowed 10 goals on 133 shots in the final, which amounts to a respectable .925 save percentage, but he hasn't dominated any of the four games.

San Jose could use a show-stopping performance from Jones to avoid watching the Penguins celebrate another Cup victory Thursday night.

Is this the last chance for Thornton and Marleau?

The Sharks have several young players who will help the club build toward the future - Donskoi, Tomas Hertl, Melker Karlsson and even 26-year-old Jones, but San Jose's foundation is rooted in its core group of veterans.

Specifically, the Sharks' heart and soul lie in a pair of 36-year-old former captains, Thornton and Marleau.

San Jose is playing its first Cup Final and could certainly contend for future championships, but this very well could be the last opportunity for the two faces of the franchise who've been relatively successful together for more than a decade.