PITTSBURGH — Martin Jones stopped 44 shots, Logan Couture had a goal and two assists and the San Jose Sharks avoided elimination by hanging on for a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.
Melker Karlsson, Brent Burns and captain Joe Pavelski, into an empty net, also scored for the Sharks, who cut the Penguins’ series lead to 3-2 and forced Game 6 at San Jose on Sunday.
Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin scored 26 seconds apart in the first period of a game the Penguins outshot the Sharks 46-21.
Aside from Pavelski’s goal, the rest of the scoring came in the first period, and included the teams combining to score two each in the first 5:06 to set a Cup final series record for fastest four goals to start a game.
The Sharks squandered a 2-0 lead before Karlsson scored the go-ahead goal with 5:15 left in the first. Set up in the slot by Couture’s no-look pass, Karlsson snapped a shot that banked in off the bottom of goalie Matt Murray’s glove.
