Sharks at Predators
Trailing 2-0 in their second-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks, heading home for Tuesday night's Game 3 might not prove to be that much of an advantage for the Nashville Predators. Not only did the Predators lose twice at home in their first-round series versus Anaheim, but they are facing an opponent that posted the league's best road record.
Not only did the Sharks go 28-10-3 away from home during the regular season, but they also won all three games in Los Angeles in their first-round series. San Jose has scored seven of its eight goals against Nashville in the third period, including three empty-netters, fueling the Predators' optimism that the series is far from over. "No one's hitting the panic button in here or anything," Nashville center Ryan Johansen said. "There's still a lot of hockey to be played. We know it's going to be challenging and they know it's going to be challenging." Nashville did stave off elimination in the opening round with a big victory in Game 6 at Bridgestone Arena before ousting the Ducks in Anaheim.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, USA, Sportsnet 360, TVAS
ABOUT THE SHARKS: San Jose goaltender Martin Jones had been flying under the radar in the postseason, but he outplayed former mentor Jonathan Quick in the opening round and is coming off a 37-save performance in Game 2 against Nashville. "I thought they were better than us for the majority of that game," said Sharks center Logan Couture, who has three goals in the first two games. "A lot of guys didn't bring their best effort tonight, and we got bailed out by Jonesy making some big saves." The power play continues to thrive for San Jose, converting on 3-of-5 chances against Nashville and producing eight man-advantage tallies in seven postseason games.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: With the tandem of captain Shea Weber and Roman Josi leading the way, Nashville's defensemen led the NHL by posting the most points (203) and goals (55) during the regular season. Fellow blue-liner Mattias Ekholm has been the most clutch performer in the playoffs, tying for the league lead among defensemen with three tallies and either tying the game or putting his team ahead with each of his goals. "It's just the evolution of his game," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "I don't think it should surprise anybody that he's got points or goals in the postseason. He's a terrific defenseman that thinks the game offensively."
OVERTIME
1. The Predators continue to struggle on the power play, failing on three chances in Game 2 to fall to 2-for-31 in the postseason.
2. Sharks captain Joe Pavelski has six goals in the postseason while D Brent Burns has one goal and seven assists during a four-game point streak.
3. Predators F Filip Forsberg, the team's leading scorer during the regular season, is mired in a seven-game point drought.