Heading into Game 5 at 8 p.m. Thursday, you can trot out all the stats that you want, fancy or plain.
The Sharks have never led at any point during any game of the Stanley Cup finals.
The Sharks’ four big stars — Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Logan Couture — have yet to score in the series.
And Pittsburgh is a tidy 9-3 at home in these playoffs and has a lineup that boasts 16 different goal scorers.
None of that really matters because it comes down to this: The Pittsburgh Penguins have everything to gain and the San Jose Sharks have nothing to lose.
The attitude of both teams seemed to reflect this idea and the notion that Game 5 represents what should be an epic tilt, no matter how it turns out.
