Sharks advance after dominating Predators in Game 7
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks ran the Nashville Predators out of the building and out of the playoffs on Thursday night.
With goals from five different skaters -- all the big names no less -- San Jose capped a second-round playoff victory with a 5-0 Game 7 thumping to the delight of a sold-out SAP Center.
With their eighth win in 12 games this spring, the Sharks advance to meet the St. Louis Blues for a best-of-seven Western Conference finals series that will send the winner on to play for the Stanley Cup.
Game 1 will be Sunday in St. Louis.
The Sharks will be making their fourth appearance in the West finals, and first since going back-to-back in 2010 and '11. San Jose is seeking its first conference crown.
The Blues and Sharks have met four times in the postseason, only in the first round, and each team has won twice. San Jose won two of three regular-season meeting this year.
Leading by three going into the final period, the Sharks took advantage of defenseman Mattias Ekholm's cross-check of Tommy Wingels at the horn of the second period.
Center Joe Thornton tapped home a rebound left on a Logan Couture shot when San Jose broke on 4-on-1 after intercepting a Mike Fisher drop pass just inside the San Jose blue line. Thornton's third goal of the postseason came 32 seconds into the third.
Patrick Marleau capped a 2-on-1 break with Couture to score his fourth of the playoffs at 3:54 after Nashville defenseman Shea Weber got caught on a pinch. Marleau's 64th career playoff goal chased starting Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, who broke his stick on the crossbar after the goal.
San Jose goalie Martin Jones stopped all 20 shots Nashville produced for his first career playoff shutout.
The Sharks scored the only two goals of an opening period they dominated from start to finish.
Joe Pavelski potted his ninth goal of the playoff season with a one-timer from 10 feet out on the power play after taking a pass from Patrick Marleau, who was behind the net.
Joel Ward made it 2-0 when he picked Nashville defenseman Roman Josi's pocket at the visitors' blue line. Rinne was unable to stop a half-speed shot following a stickhandling move at 16:51.
Logan Couture scored his seventh goal of the playoffs and fifth of the series just 36 seconds into the second period to give the hosts a 3-0 lead they would nurse throughout the middle period.
Couture pounced when the puck slipped off the stick of Weber, and the speedy center broke in alone to beat Rinne with a low shot inside the near post.
NOTES: F Tommy Wingels replaced injured LW Matt Nieto for San Jose. Wingels, a healthy scratch for Games 5 and 6, was slotted into the fourth line at right wing alongside C Nick Spaling and LW Dainius Zubrus while LW Melker Karlsson was promoted next to C Chris Tierney and RW Joel Ward on the third line. Nieto sustained an undisclosed injury midway through Game 6 in Nashville on Monday. ... Nashville went with the same lineup as for its Game 6 overtime win. ... San Jose was 5-4 all-time in Game 7s, including 2-1 at home. However, the Sharks had lost four of their last five Game 7s beforehand. Nashville played its first Game 7 to win its first-round series in Anaheim on April 27. ... Predators coach Peter Laviolette is 5-1 in Game 7s. ... D Dylan DeMelo, D Matt Tennyson and C Micheal Haley were San Jose's healthy scratches. ... D Petter Granberg, C Cody Bass, LW Eric Nystrom, LW Pontus Aberg, LW Austin Watson, RW Gabriel Bourque did not dress for Nashville.