SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Speed kills, and it wins a Stanley Cup.

"We are going to have a little party tonight," Penguins owner Mario Lemieux said.

Pittsburgh earned its fourth NHL crown on Sunday with a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center, a victory accomplished in the manner that was a common thread through the Penguins' postseason run and the six-game Stanley Cup finals.

Pittsburgh was simply faster than anyone in the NHL, including a Sharks team that did all it could to hang but just didn't have enough to generate offense or prevent the Penguins from producing chance after chance in the series.

"I don't know how to explain it," said Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, who replaced the fired Mike Johnston in December. "I can't put it into words. I can't be more proud of the way we've come together as a team."

San Jose's struggles to penetrate were epitomized by managing only one shot on goal during the first 19 minutes of the final period -- a wrist shot by Logan Couture at 3:45.

"From the bench, they made us look like we were slow," Couture said. "That might be just their speed."

The Penguins snuffed out the Sharks' final push, when San Jose pulled goalie Martin Jones, to finish with a 27-19 advantage in shots during Game 6, the fifth time in the series they outshot San Jose.

"It's not just their speed, they have good sticks, too," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "They force you into quicker decisions. They really challenge your execution. We hadn't seen pressure and sticks like that through the first three rounds."

Defenseman Kris Letang scored the winning goal at 7:46 of the second period, giving Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead. Right winger Patric Hornqvist scored into an empty net at 18:58 of the third period on an assist from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

"I'm going to remember that for a long time," Hornqvist said.

Sharks forward Joe Thornton said, "It sucks, that's the bottom line, it sucks. We thought we had the team (after) going through the teams we did in the West. It's just tough right now."

The Penguins scored the only goal of a fast-paced opening period. It marked the fifth time in six games Pittsburgh scored the game's first goal.

The visitors had two of the game's first three shots before Pittsburgh's pinching defenseman Brian Dumoulin drew a tripping penalty from San Jose left winger Dainius Zubrus at 7:50.

And just as the Pens did in Game 4, when Zubrus committed the first penalty, Pittsburgh converted in short order. Dumoulin delayed at the left point, turning San Jose penalty-killing forward Melker Karlsson around, then fired through the right winger's legs and past the screened Jones at 8:16.

Dumoulin's second goal of the playoffs came 26 seconds into the power play.

San Jose was finally rewarded for a hard push to open the middle period when Logan Couture's wrist shot on the move from the edge of the left circle squirreled through Penguins goalie Matt Murray at 6:27.

Sharks defenseman Brent Burns made the play. He knocked down a Pittsburgh clearance attempt at the line, then instead of dumping the puck, made a great lateral entry pass to lead Couture.

Pittsburgh responded on the very next shift -- top line vs. top line -- and Crosby's great pass found pinching Letang, who one-timed his third goal past a late-moving Jones to complete a long cycle at 7:46.

San Jose was without the services of top shutdown defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic for 10 minutes of the second period, but Jones did his best again to deny Pittsburgh at every turn. Jones finished with 24 saves Sunday after he stopped 44 shots Thursday in San Jose's 4-2 victory at Pittsburgh.

"They're a quick team, we're a fast team, too," Jones added. "The difference was executing one or two plays there. The games were tight."

Thornton added, "They're a great team, that's why they're holding the trophy up. That's all I can say."

Murray made 18 saves in the clincher, allowing him to tie the record for most wins by a rookie in a single postseason, 15.

NOTES: Penguins C Sidney Crosby earned the Conn Smythe Trophy despite finishing without a goal in the Stanley Cup finals. Crosby recorded two assists in the clincher, giving him four helpers in the series. In 24 playoff games, Crosby recorded six goals, 13 assists and a minus-2 rating. ... San Jose LW Tomas Hertl missed his fourth straight game of the finals with lower-body injury. Hertl was seen leaving the locker room with a brace on his previously injured right knee. ... The first five games of the series featured one team leading by one goal or the two tied 87 percent of the time. That was the case for all of Game 6 except the last 62 seconds. ... Pittsburgh's line of LW Carl Hagelin, C Nick Bonino and RW Phil Kessel combined for 20 goals and 56 points in the Penguins' 24 playoff games. ... Sharks G Martin Jones is the first netminder in the post-expansion era to record 40 or more saves multiple times in the Stanley Cup final. ... Pittsburgh's G Matt Murray tied Cam Ward (Carolina, 2006), Ron Hextall (Philadelphia, 1987) and Patrick Roy (Montreal, 1986) with the most -- 15 -- for a rookie goalie in playoff history.