from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
Here are five storylines that will determine in large part whether the Sharks or Pittsburgh Penguins hold that trophy high in the coming days. Game 1 will be at 8 p.m. ET Monday.
Sharks seeking redemption
The seven-year lapse between Stanley Cup finals for the Penguins' core of stars is well-documented. But in some ways that pales in comparison with to the road to redemption for a Sharks team that has never been to the finals and that two years ago epically blew a 3-0 series lead in the first round against the eventual Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings.
No two players have worn the heavy cloak of criticism over the years more often than Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The two former captains have played a combined 3,093 regular-season and postseason games and never once stood on this stage. When Marleau noticed the Cup sitting a few feet away on Sunday, he laughed. Yes. Close, but far.
"Four wins away and there's a lot of heavy lifting, a lot of hard work that's going to have to go in, in order to raise that Cup," he said. "Ever since you're a kid, when you know what it's all about, you want to win it right then when you're 8, 9 years old. So, it's a long time coming and [we're] just kind of trying to relish it and stay in the moment and just to have fun with it."
Which captain will prevail?
Sidney Crosby is the best hockey player on the planet. It's a refrain heard so often, it seems like an undeniable truth. For much of his career, it has been a statement easy to defend.
And this spring Crosby might be playing the best all-around hockey of his career. He scored three game winners in the Eastern Conference finals. He has 15 points in 18 games and has been dynamic at both ends of the ice, playing often against opposing team's top players....
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