Two of the NHL's feel-good teams will go head-to-head and something has to give when the Predators and Sharks face-off in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs -- starting Friday.
San Jose overcame its demons by ousting the rival Los Angeles Kings in five games last round. The Kings infamously overcame a 3-0 series deficit against the Sharks two years ago en route to the Stanley Cup. San Jose is in the second round for the first time since 2013, while it looks to make it to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2011.
Nashville jumped out to a 2-0 series lead on the road against the Anaheim Ducks, then dropped three straight and won Game 6 at home and Game 7 on the road to avoid elimination. It was the Predators' first Game 7 in franchise history and now they enter Round 2 for the third time since becoming a franchise in 1998. Nashville has never played in the conference finals.
This series ensures that one team will find the most success that it has in years. To view our slideshow, CLICK START at the top right of this page. Here are our predictions and a preview for this series. To view our Stars-Blues predictions, click here.
[Pacific No. 2] San Jose Sharks (46-30-6, 98 points) vs. [Wild Card No. 1] Nashville Predators (41-27-14, 96 points)
Round 1 Reflection: Last round, we picked the Kings to overcome the Sharks in seven (they lost in five) and the Predators to fall to the Ducks in five (they lost in seven).
Season Series: 2-1 Predators.
Special Teams (Playoffs): Sharks: 23.8 percent power play (7th), 78.6 percent penalty kill (9th); Predators: 3.8 percent power play (16th), 84.0 percent penalty kill (6th).
Projected Goalie Matchup: Martin Jones (4-1, 2.18 goals-against average, .912 save percentage), Sharks; Pekka Rinne (4-3, 2.45 GAA, .915 save percentage), Predators.
Series Overview: Both of these teams are riding high after Round 1, but there's plenty of work to do. The Sharks had an emotional series win over the Kings, but haven't played since ousting them exactly a week before Game 1 of this series. The Predators had to grind out their series with the Pacific Division's top-seeded Ducks, and have a quick two-day turnaround.
Joe Pavelski was a huge force for the Sharks in Round 1, becoming one of three players in the league to score five goals and finishing with six points. Brent Burns tied for the league lead with six assists and ranked tied for fourth with eight points. Logan Couture had five assists and six points.
San Jose has veterans with plenty of playoff experience, including Joe Thornton (1-2--3) and Patrick Marleau (1-3--4), but some of their young guns have made an impact as well, including the likes of Joonas Donskoi, 24, who lit the lamp twice against the Kings. In the opening round, the Sharks were third in goals for per game (3.23) and fifth in goals allowed (2.20).
The Sharks will go up against arguably the best defensive group in the NHL, spearheaded by Predators captain Shea Weber (26:36 time on ice in Round 1) and Roman Josi (27:16). Weber and fellow defenseman Mattias Ekholm tied with James Neal and Colin Wilson for the team lead with two goals apiece against the Ducks. Wilson and Weber each led the way with five points.
One problem for the Predators is on the offensive front as they averaged just two goals per game through the opening round and sophomore sensation Filip Forsberg had just one goal. Another issue is their abysmal power play, which converted at just over a ghastly 3 percent against the Ducks.
In net, Jones is coming off of the high of knocking off his former mentor Jonathan Quick in what was a fantastic series for the Sharks' netminder. Rinne is an all-world goalie, but has been wildly erratic and inconsistent throughout this season. Still, coming off of a Game 7 where he yielded just one goal against the desperate Ducks on 37 shots, he has some confidence coming in.
Last Call: It'll be a nice story for either one of these teams to advance, but the onus will be on the Predators' top-notch defense to make up for the offense's shortcomings. The window is nearly closed for the Sharks and their aging veterans, so they'll have some extra motivation to get it done this season. The Predators will have to fix their offense and convert on the power play to get past this deep Sharks unit. San Jose is rolling after such an emotional group win over the Kings and the club isn't ready to go home the following round.
The Pick: Sharks in 6.
