NHL-Party-pooping Sharks put Pittsburgh's champagne on ice

June 9 (Reuters) - The city of Pittsburgh spent 72 hours preparing for the Penguins to lift the Stanley Cup on home ice for a first time but could only look on in dismay as their planned celebrations evaporated in less than three minutes. The Penguins, who had outplayed the San Jose Sharks to grab a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series on Monday, were widely expected to win Thursday's Game Five and clinch a fourth NHL title and first since 2009. All three of their previous triumphs were secured in games on the road, so hoisting the trophy in Pittsburgh was likely to lead to celebrations that would go on deep into the night. San Jose, however, had not read the script and foiled the plans by scoring two goals in the opening 2:53 on the way to a 4-2 triumph that cut their series deficit to 3-2 and forced a Game Six back in California. "The first five minutes, that's what (lost) the game," Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist told reporters. "We played a good game the last 55 minutes. That's something we have to learn from." In the critical opening moments, impressive rookie Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray showed some uncharacteristic chinks in his armour and the Sharks pounced. The Penguins have dominated shots on goal stats in the series and fought back to briefly tie the contest at 2-2 but were always facing an uphill battle once the Sharks regained a one-goal advantage in the dying moments of the first period. SETTLED SHARKS "I thought our team as a whole was a little bit unsettled at the first part of the game," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought Matt settled in as the game went on, just like our team." The fear now for the Penguins, who conceded an empty net goal in the closing stages, is that the Sharks have settled into the series after claiming two games of the five despite being largely outplayed. The pressure may have shifted back to Pittsburgh, who will travel to San Jose for Game Six on Sunday, but the Penguins have grown accustomed to successfully handling pressure in this post-season. In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Pittsburgh also lost a Game Five to Washington while leading the series 3-1 but recovered to claim the series by winning Game Six in overtime. The Penguins then trailed Tampa Bay 3-2 in their best-of-seven East Finals but rallied to triumph in the last two games. "It's always a little disconcerting when you lose but it was positive that we were able to play well and have our chances," forward Bryan Rust said of Pittsburgh's relentless assault on the San Jose goal in the final two periods. "We just have to erase it from our minds after tonight and keep moving forward." (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)