The Sharks are looking to win on the road like they have all season and move on to the third round as the Predators hope to win an elimination game on home-ice when these teams face-off for Game 6 live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Monday.
San Jose is seeking its first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 2011 by notching a huge road win. Nashville, meanwhile, will look to win its fourth straight playoff home game -- and third of this series -- to force Game 7 back in San Jose.
The Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but the Predators were able to erase it and tie things up by winning both Games 3 and 4 at Bridgestone Arena. San Jose then blitzed Nashville at the SAP Center in Game 5 to the tune of a 5-1 defeat.
The Predators erased this same 3-2 deficit in Round 1, bouncing the Ducks in their first Game 7 in franchise history.
"[The Predators] have been resilient at times throughout the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs, and we're going to have to be good," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said via NHL.com. "It's a game where you have to put a team away, and you've really got to beat them. So we need to come out and establish that mindset."
Pavelski had two goals for the Sharks in Game 5, while Patrick Marleau (3), Logan Couture (5) and Malker Karlsson (2) each found the twine as well. Pavelski's eight goals lead the club and rank tied for second in the NHL.
Logan Couture, who is 4-3-7 in this series, and Brent Burns are tied for first on the team and knotted for second in the league with 13 points. Burns also has a team-high nine assists.
Mike Fisher scored his team-leading fifth goal for the Predators in the Game 5 loss, the lone tally of the contest for Nashville. Fisher has four goals in the series and three in the past two games. Colin Wilson paces the team with eight assists and 12 points.
Nashville may have experience after Round 1, but it knows it faces a whole different situation against San Jose.
"We shouldn't rest on that," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said per NHL.com. "We shouldn't just assume that it's going to happen."
Martin Jones mans the crease for the Sharks and is 7-3 this postseason with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage after stopping 24 of 25 shots he faced in Game 5. The Predators counter with Pekka Rinne and he is 6-6 with a 2.37 GAA and a .917 save percentage after yielding four goals on 27 shots last time out and being lifted for Carter Hutton in the third.
Game Preview & Live Stream
Details: Sharks at Predators Game 6
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
Time: 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CDT).
Radio: San Jose (KFOX 98.5); Nashville (102.5 The Game)
Series: 3-2 Sharks.
Prediction: Our predictions for this series can be found here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
