5 Keys: San Jose Sharks, Game 2

PITTSBURGH – The San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins play Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports). The Penguins won 3-2 in Game 1.

Here are five keys for the Sharks in Game 2:

1. START BETTER

It would be difficult for the Sharks to have a worse start than Game 1. In the first period, the Penguins pressured them into repeated turnovers, outshot them 15-4 and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Blaming it on nerves or rust from a long layoff, the Sharks spent much of the first period standing around and watching before they found their game in the second period, and were able to push back and pull even.

They need to be the aggressors from the drop of the puck in Game 2.

“I don’t know what it was, but it’s not us sitting back and letting a team take it to us in the first period,” Sharks center Chris Tierney said San Jose’s morning skate Wednesday. “We usually get on teams in the first and that’s our game. So, obviously, we’re looking for a better start tonight and to carry our start for a full 60 [minutes].”

2. CONTROL THE PACE

This probably should be the No. 1 key every game, because the Penguins have so many offensive weapons that can burn opponents with their speed. The Sharks faced some fast teams in the Western Conference, but saw in Game 1 that the Penguins can push it to another level if you feed their counterattack game with turnovers.

To prevent that, the Sharks have to clean up their defensive zone exits and manage the puck better through the neutral zone. If they can do that and establish their puck possession game in the attack zone, as …

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