No doubt the Penguins have been better than the Sharks during the first four games of this Stanley Cup Final. These teams, though, are very close. Every game except one has been decided by one goal.

So there is value taking the Sharks because the line has been inflated with Pittsburgh up 3-1 and playing at home. The Sharks had the best road mark in the league by far during the regular season. They are 8-2 in their last 10 road games versus home opponents with a winning percentage greater than .600.

The Sharks are 2-0 in the playoffs when having had two days off during a series and 32-13 the past 45 times when playing on two day's rest. The Sharks also are 18-6 when scoring two or fewer goals in their previous game. The extra day gives the Sharks a needed chance to regroup and adds to the pressure, which clearly is on the favored Penguins.

San Jose has key veteran players - Martin Marleau, Joe Thornton, Joel Ward and Dainius Zubrus all being past 35 - who know this may be their final chance to win a Stanley Cup. The Sharks have a number of upper-tier goal scorers. The Penguins are going to get San Jose's best punch.