Sharks’ Nieto to play, Penguins’ Rust a game-time call in Game 2 of Stanley Cup final
Greetings from Pittsburgh, where the Penguins and the San Jose Sharks held optional morning skates to prepare for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center.
The Sharks, who were overwhelmed by the Penguins’ speed during stretches of Pittsburgh’s 3-2 victory in Game 1, will try to counter that by inserting speedy winger Matt Nieto into their lineup Wednesday. It wasn’t clear whose place he will take, though it’s likely he will slide into a third-line role and Melker Karlsson would drop to the fourth line. In that case, either Dainius Zubrus or Tommy Wingels would be scratched.
“We haven’t decided on line combinations yet. We’ll get to that by game time,” Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer said. “But he brings us speed. A big part of our team all year. When he went down, we had some great contributions from guys to fill that hole. But he brings some things that are unique to his skill set that we think can help us.”
Nieto, a Long Beach native, had eight goals and 17 points in 67 regular-season games for the Sharks. He also had one goal and three points in 11 playoff games this spring. An upper-body injury has kept him out of the lineup since the second game of the Sharks’ second-round series against Nashville.
For the Penguins, there was still uncertainty surrounding the status of winger Bryan Rust, who played only one shift after he took a hit to the head from Patrick Marleau early in the third period of Game 3. Rust skated Wednesday morning but Coach Mike Sullivan said his inclusion in the lineup will be a game-time decision.
Nieto, chosen by the Sharks in the second round of the 2011 entry draft, said his parents still live in Long Beach and won’t be at Wednesday’s game. However, he said they will attend Games 3 and 4 in San Jose, to be played Saturday and Monday.
“Really excited. Can’t wait to get back out there,” Nieto said of playing Wednesday. “It’s been a while. Stanley Cup finals, so it’s going to be really fun and exciting. I feel good and I’ve prepared for it so I’m ready to go…
“This is really an exciting time. Could be once in a lifetime so I’m going to cherish it, take it all in, and just have fun out there.”
Watching Game 1 gave him some ideas of what the Sharks must do Wednesday to give themselves a better chance to win.
“I think just don’t turn the puck over, and get pucks behind their D,” he said, meaning the Penguins’ defense. “We have to make them come up the ice a full 200 feet and not give them those quick transition plays.”
The Penguins are likely to again emphasize shot-blocking, as they did in Game 1. They were credited with 21 blocked shots to 15 by San Jose. Forward Nick Bonino, who scored the game-winner, led the team with six blocked shots.
“We’ve talked a lot about trying to get body position, trying to box out in front. They have some huge players who sometimes you can’t do that against,” Pittsburgh defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “I’m a firm believer that when there is an opportunity to block a shot, at this time of year you have to do it, no matter who you are. And I think guys in this room understand that.”
Asked if he or his teammates might be reluctant to put themselves in peril if it’s hard-shooting San Jose defenseman Brent Burns who’s winding up for a shot, Lovejoy said they wouldn’t hesitate at all.
“Not one bit. You are actively rooting for it to hit you because that means it didn’t go in the net,” he said.
While blocking shots requires bravery, it also is an art that requires thought and skill.
“In an ideal world, your job as a defenseman is to push the guy as far out of the shot lane as you can, but unfortunately the other team is oftentimes trying and their job is to get to the front of the net and sometimes you have no choice,” the always thoughtful and eloquent Lovejoy said. “Our goaltenders understand that and they appreciate the job that all five of us [on the ice] do. It’s not just the defensemen who are responsible for blocking shots.”
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