SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Pittsburgh Penguins scored a power-play goal less than three minutes into the second period, opening a two-goal lead. The San Jose Sharks didn’t even take their first shot of the period until a little over seven minutes later.

The Sharks’ failure to get the puck on the net has them on the brink of elimination from their first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Penguins regained control of the series with Monday night’s 3-1 victory in San Jose, taking a three games to one lead heading into Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

The Sharks outshot and outblocked the Penguins in this one, but were stymied on two power plays while allowing the Penguins to convert on one out of two.

“Got to produce,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. “The game needs to be simplified and we have to recognize that.”

A hyperactive Penguins defensive effort continued to slow down Pavelski, still the playoff leader with 13 goals, and make things difficult for Logan Couture, Joe Thornton and Brent Burns.

“Something we did in the first three rounds was to jump out early,” Pavelski said. “We haven’t quite got that yet. Moving forward, scoring first will play a big role in giving us a chance. There’s no time for frustration.”

Pavelski did send five pucks at the net, one more than his total from the first three games combined.

“He’s getting chances,” Couture said. “The guy has 13 goals in the playoffs. That’s pretty ridiculous. It’s not easy to score goals. You have to keep believing they’ll start going in.”

“You know, I think special teams battle has been fairly even in the series,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “I don’t think that’s been the deciding factor either way for either team. We’ve been chasing the game the whole series by not scoring first. That takes you out of your four-line rhythm. It affects all parts of your game.”