Pittsburgh Penguins fans Thursday night, including a crowd of about 50 at the Monroe Hotel, hoped the night would end with the team hoisting the Stanley Cup.

But to their dismay, they will have to wait three more days to see the team take another crack at a championship.

The team fell 4-2 to the San Jose Sharks in game five on home ice. But the Pens hold a 3 to 2 lead in the best of seven series. Game six will be Sunday in San Jose, starting at 8 p.m.

Despite the disappointment of the loss, several fans at the Monroe said they remain confident the Penguins will win the next game.

However, some fans said rookie goalie Matt Murray was a big factor in the loss.

“Murray let in three weak goals. That's what happened. The Penguins outplayed them,” J.R. Brewer of Butler said.

Ben Curran of Butler said during the first intermission, when the Penguins were down 3-2, that the coaches should have considered pulling Murray and putting in veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“It's pretty hot and heavy out there. It's going to be a long game,” he said.

Curran said he and a friend had planned to drive to Pittsburgh to watch the game on the big screen outside Consol Energy Center, but they opted for the Monroe after hearing the event was filled to capacity with 20,000 fans.

Mike Greeny of Butler noted the Penguins failed to be the first Pittsburgh professional sports team in 56 years to clinch a championship in the city. The 1960 Pirates were the last team to win a deciding game at home.

“With this team, I'm confident they'll win it on the road. It's the curse of the Consol. We can't win on home ice,” he said.

Greeny said the team has been successful in recent years because of its stars, including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury, all of whom were on the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2009.

“The core depth players are huge, but the problem is they've never all been healthy,” he said.

The team also has benefitted from additions this year such as Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino, he said.

Jenn Anderson of Butler said coach Mike Sullivan has been a big difference for the team.

Sullivan was hired to replace Mike Johnston who was fired 28 games into the season.

“Sullivan came in and he wasn't trying to be their buddy. He was coaching them,” she said.

Watching Penguins hockey games is an important part of life for many people in the region, she said.

“People grew up watching them. It's our lives. People make hockey their lives, that's the way it should be,” she said.

Katlyn Glaser of Butler said an unexpected impact player in the postseason has been rookie forward Bryan Rust.

“Rust, he came out of the woodwork and started scoring goals,” she said.

Mackenzie Hohn of Chicora said she went to Pittsburgh with a cousin to watch Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the outdoor screen at Consol.

While they were waiting for the game to start, a Penguins employee offered them free tickets to the game. When they got inside, they found out their seats were right on the ice.

“It was totally insane. I've never seen a crowd so excited to win,” she said.

Hohn said Murray has been a great story for the team, despite giving up three goals in Thursday's loss.

“Matt Murray is awesome. The fact that he just turned 22 and he's in the playoffs, it's incredible,” she said.