Predators at Sharks
The San Jose Sharks dispatched one Pacific Division rival in the opening round of the playoffs and may have been expecting to see another in the second round, but instead they will host the upstart Nashville Predators in Game 1 on Friday. Nashville became the final team to punch its ticket to the second round with a 2-1 Game 7 victory at Anaheim on Wednesday.
While the Predators had an abrupt turnaround before heading up the California coast, San Jose has been idle since closing out the Los Angeles Kings in five games on April 22. "There's advantages to both," Sharks forward Tommy Wingels told reporters. "When you play every other day, you get into a bit of a routine of having a day off and bringing it the next night. So, in that aspect, I think they'll be ready to go. On the other side of it, we appreciated our rest." San Jose posted the worst home record (18-20-3) of any playoff team and must contend with an opponent that won three times in Anaheim and beat the Sharks in two of their three matchups during the regular season. "Moving forward, I think we're a better team already," Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne told reporters after the first Game 7 win in franchise history.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: Rinne had a number of shaky moments during the regular season and was dented for 11 goals as the Ducks won three straight games in their series, but the Finnish netminder was immense in both elimination contests - including a sensational 36-save performance in Game 7. “He was really good,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette told reporters. “If you think that you need four wins to get out, and if you think about the four wins, you could consider him one of the best players on the ice. He was outstanding." Colin Wilson scored just six times in 64 games during the regular season, but his opening goal in Game 7 gave him seven tallies in his last 13 playoff contests.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Captain Joe Pavelski topped San Jose with 38 goals during the regular season before scoring five more times against Los Angeles, while defenseman Brent Burns registered a team-high eight points in the opening round after establishing career highs of 27 goals and 48 assists in the regular season. Netminder Martin Jones notched 37 wins in his first full season as a starter but has a rocky history against the Predators, going 0-2-2 with a 3.62 goals-against average and .863 save percentage in four career appearances (three starts). The Sharks' power play, ranked third in the regular season, converted 5-of-21 chances versus the Kings.
OVERTIME
1. Predators leading scorer Filip Forsberg is mired in a five-game point drought.
2. Sharks C Joe Thornton has recorded 57 points in 48 games against Nashville.
3. Nashville was a woeful 1-for-26 with the man advantage versus Anaheim.