Sidney Crosby was all over the ice after attracting some criticism last round, both young goaltenders were big factors, a suspension is possibly (but not likely) coming while a rookie and potential Hall-of-Famer stole the show.
Here are three things we learned in the NHL.
Bryan Rust is Max Talbot circa 2009
When Bryan Rust scored both goals in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Game 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, he did something reminiscent of Max Talbot and the 2009 Cup-winning Pens. Talbot did just that in Game 7 of the Penguins-Red Wings Final, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win.
Talbot, fittingly, was in attendance Monday for Pittsburgh’s Game 1 win:
Rust opened the scoring nearly 13 minutes into Game 1, his sixth goal of the playoffs. Sports Illustrated featured him and his brother Matt on the weekend where we learned that Matt supports his brother with a game-night tradition of watching Bryan play from his couch…with a burrito.
Matt Rust was a fourth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2007 and actually played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL in 2011-12.
The Pens won 3-2 to take a 1-0 series lead thanks to a late goal by Nick Bonino.
Marleau for Hall of Fame?
If the San Jose Sharks were to win the Stanley Cup, it would go a long way to completing the legacies of two players: Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
The pair were drafted first and second overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, which took place in Pittsburgh.
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Coming into tonight, Thornton had the third most regular-season points in history for a player who’s never reached the Cup Final. Marleau, meanwhile, has the most playoff goals in the NHL since he entered the league in 1997-98.
Marleau scored his first Stanley Cup Final goal of his career Monday to even the score at 2-2 after the Sharks fell behind 2-0 in the first period.
Thornton has garnered quite a resurgence in popularity with his strong season, earning himself a spot on Team Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Cup. A late-career push could help his cause in reaching the Hall of Fame. Could you say the same about Marleau?
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Marleau on Rust: Suspension coming?
In a game where both players scored – a rookie and a potential all-timer, respectively – Rust and Marleau stole the spotlight in another fashion Monday night.
Early in the third period, Marleau caught Rust with a high hit to the head as Rust was skating through the middle of the ice. Rust went down on the ice briefly before being removed and taken to the Penguins’ dressing room. He returned for one shift but left again and did not come back.
Rust’s status is not yet determined.
A suspension in the Stanley Cup Final is rare, and Marleau’s hit did not look particularly egregious. Still, the possibility must be of concern for the Sharks as they look ahead to Wednesday’s Game 2.