Pens Points: SCF Game 5

Good morning one and all,

Nervous, excited, and both looking forward to tonight and dreading it at the same time. Tonight the Pens take their first crack at win #16 and emotion is nibbling away at everyone. [SI]

Something that seemed impossible 6 months ago could be possible now. That's how wild and full of turnarounds this season has been for the Penguins. [LA Times]

Pens have everything to gain and the Sharks have nothing to lose. That's how many see tonight's game. [ESPN]

*Pens hard hockey has worn down the Sharks, says Tim Wharnsby. A pretty good read. [CBC]

Phil Kessel refuses to buy into the narrative that anything about him has changed since the hard days of underachievement in Toronto. He's the same player, just on a batter team. And that's the gist of it. [OC Register]

Geno Machino stepped up big time in game 4 after saying how much better he needed to be. That's the Geno we know and love. [New York Times]

The Pens oldest player and arguably the rock of the team, Matt Cullen, is one step away from winning the first Cup his kids might see. [In Forum]

Pete DeBoer has ripped the reports of Tomas Herts being done for the series. [Mercury News]

Down Goes Brown has a definitive Stanley Cup handoff ranking. Sid's handoff to Billy G is up there, but if he were able to somehow win another and hand it off to Duper, that would top everything forever. [Sportsnet]

Is the NHL still a superstar-driven league? [TSN]

Back in 2008 folks at the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame opened a temporary Sidney Crosby exhibit, but it's still there, because "people keep coming off cruise ships in Halifax with their Penguins jerseys on". [Huffington Post]

In the mock draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs select Auston Matthews ahead of Patrik Laine. [PPP]

CBA All Access Quest for the Stanley Cup episode 3 was prett good. [CBS Sports]

Tonight Show superlatives, Stanley Cup Finals edition. Disappointed no Geno but the Ian Cole one is good. [YouTube]