SAN JOSE – Some fluky bounces, a marginal goalie interference call, and strong team defense by the Penguins in front of their own net all contributed to a 5-1 Pittsburgh win over San Jose that was much closer than the score would indicate.
Did Pittsburgh deserve to win? Yes. But in what was an evenly played game at SAP Center on Tuesday night, the Penguins seemed to get all the breaks in giving San Jose its worst loss since a 4-0 defeat in New York on Oct. 19.
The hockey gods started messing with the Sharks just two-and-a-half minutes into the first period, when Phil Kessel’s pass from behind the net hit Paul Martin’s skate and found daylight above Martin Jones’ shoulder, and continued in the second when Matt Cullen banked one in from below the goal line off of the back of Jones’ skate.