It's do or die for the Predators and Sharks when the puck drops on Game 7 of their Stanley Cup playoff series in San Jose on Thursday with a trip to the Western Conference Final hanging in the balance.
The home team has won every game of this series. San Jose jumped out to a 2-0 series lead at the SAP Center, while Nashville evened up the odds when the set shifted to Bridgestone Arena.
The Sharks then took a 3-2 series lead on home-ice only to fall in overtime on the road in Game 6 as Viktor Arvidsson scored his first goal of the playoffs to help the Predators improve to 3-0 in elimination games this postseason.
The Sharks are looking to reach the Western Conference Final for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 2011. The Predators are hoping to get to Round 3 for the first time ever. San Jose is 5-4 all-time in Game 7s, while Nashville is playing in just its second after toppling the defending champion Blackhawks in a Round 1 series that also went the distance.
Though the Sharks have been dominant at home in the series, they were a ghastly 18-20-3 at SAP Center in the regular season. San Jose has downplayed that storyline.
"I love our game at home," Sharks center Joe Thornton said per NHL.com. "I really do. I know it was a big part of the story going into the postseason, how our home record was. But I've loved our home game and I love the energy the crowd has been giving us. It's been great."
Nashville also isn't worried about the home-ice advantage narrative.
"It doesn't matter to me," forward Ryan Johansen said via NHL.com. "I'm sure it doesn't matter to the guys in this room. We felt like we could have won that Game 2 in their building. We played a really good game, and it just didn't go our way."
Both teams bring a deep lineup into the contest. The Sharks have been paced by Brent Burns, who is tied for the NHL lead in points with 15, while Logan Couture (14) ranks second and Joe Pavelski (12) is tied for fourth.
The Predators have a strong defense, led by Roman Josi (28:13) and captain Shea Weber (27:35), who lead the club in time on ice in the playoffs. Colin Wilson has carried the Predators offense with 13 points to rank tied for second in the league and has five goals.
Pekka Rinne will once again man the blue paint for Nashville and is 7-6 with a 2.41 goals-against average and .913 save percentage this postseason. He stopped 36 of 37 shots faced in his first career Game 7 against the Blackhawks last round.
San Jose counters with Martin Jones, who will be playing in his first Game 7 and is 7-4 with a 2.35 GAA and a .913 save percentage in these playoffs.
Game Preview & Live Stream
Details: Predators at Sharks Game 7
Venue: SAP Center, San Jose, Calif.
Time: 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).
Radio: Nashville (102.5 The Game); San Jose (KFOX 98.5)
Series: Tied 3-3.
Prediction: Our predictions for this series can be found here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Keys: Our in-depth Game 7 primer can be viewed here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
