Penguins hold on in Game 4, within win of capturing Stanley Cup

Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin collected two points each, and Matt Murray made 23 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.

Now up 3-1 in the series, the Penguins, whose three previous titles were clinched on visiting ice, now have an opportunity to claim its first Stanley Cup in seven seasons Thursday at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Ian Cole set the table for the road split, smacking a rebound past Martin Jones off a Kessel shot early in the first. He became the 17th different goal scorer for the Penguins this postseason, and the club's eighth U.S.-born scorer to match an NHL record.

Kessel then directly set up Pittsburgh's second goal, spotting Malkin at the side of the net with a precise feed for a tap-in goal.

Melker Karlsson brought the Sharks to within one eight minutes into the third period, but Eric Fehr iced the game with 122 seconds left in regulation, scoring on a partial break, off a feed from Carl Hagelin.

Jones made just 17 saves in the contest, as the Sharks outshot the Penguins for the first time in the series.

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