Sharks Win Breathes New Life into Stanley Cup Final

SAN JOSE — The biggest goal in the 25-year history of the San Jose Sharks came 12:18 into overtime Saturday. Rookie forward Joonas Donskoi curled from behind the Pittsburgh Penguins net into the left circle, cradling the puck on his blade. He spun and fired.

The puck zipped between two Penguins – forward Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Justin Schultz – and past goaltender Matt Murray up under the crossbar, lifting the Sharks to a 3-2 victory in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Pure happiness,” Sharks center Logan Couture called it.

Just like that, SAP Center was as loud as ever before, roaring with joy, roaring with relief. Not only had the Sharks won the first Stanley Cup Final game played in northern California, they had cut their series deficit to 2-1 instead of falling in a 3-0 hole, and they had come back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to do it. They had won in overtime for the first time in five tries.

We have a series again, not a march of the Penguins. Game 4 is back here Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports), and you know the Shark Tank will be rocking again.

“To win this one, it’s a huge confidence booster,” Sharks center Joe Thornton said. “Now we just need to continue it for Game 4.”

The atmosphere was everything it was expected to be Saturday. Fans came dressed in sweaters of current players like Couture and Thornton and Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns and Patrick Marleau and of players of the past like Pat Falloon and Owen Nolan and Mike Ricci and Jeff Freisen and Igor Larionov. They reached deep into their closets to show the depth of their devotion. This was a long time coming.

The Sharks could have pressed against that emotional backdrop. They could have gotten frustrated when things …

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