In preparation for writing this round 2 preview for the Predators / Sharks series, I read through my round 1 preview for the Predators / Ducks. Honestly… I could almost copy and paste it here and be pretty close.
The Predators won the season series against San Jose going 2-0-1– yup… same as round 1…
Awesome power play for San Jose – Umm, just like Round 1
Good defensive team – Yup, just like Anaheim
Excellent goaltending tandem – Maybe not quite as equal as the Ducks, but close.
Almost every expert picking against the Predators – 29 of 31 experts from ESPN, NHL.com and the NHL Network have picked the Sharks. :-)
A lot of similarities... So let’s get into detail, only this time with less Hamilton references…
The San Jose Sharks made quick work of the LA Kings in Round 1, taking down a cup favorite in five games, winning three of them on the road. This is the story of the San Jose Sharks this season. 3-0 on the road in Round 1… 18-20-3 at home in the regular season. That’s right, a sub-.500 record in the Shark Tank. The only team that made the playoffs with that kind of home futility. That is astounding. The playoff history between these two teams consists of two consecutive series wins by the Sharks, winning in five in 2006 and 2007.
San Jose has a very nice combination of youth and veterans on offense. Familiar names like Joe Thorton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pevelski, Loga Couture and Joel Ward. Thorton led the team in scoring in the regular season and seems to be rejuvenated under the new leadership of Peter deBoer… and speaking of leadership… the “C” fits very nicely on Pavelski’s sweater. He potted a team leading 38 goals over the regular season and has made this team his own. He continued his scoring ways in the playoffs so far by netting five goals in round 1. Youngsters like Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskol have rounded out the front lines very nicely along with a trade deadline acquisition that is very familiar to Pred Nation, Nick Spaling.
On the blueline, San Jose boasts one of the most versatile defenseman in the league, Brent Burns. He is the second leading goalscorer on the team with 27 goals, he has also posted 47 assists. Physical, solid positionally and an offensive threat, Burns may be the X-Factor in this series. The rest of the D corps is solid if unspectacular, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Paul Martin (another very good pickup) roman Polack, and Justin Braun round out the blueline.
In net… the team belongs to Martin Jones, he played all five games in Round 1 and posted very good stats, a 2.18 GAA and a .912 save percentage, consistent with his regular season performance. James Reimer is the backup, who was spectacular in that role when he came to the Sharks. Should Jones falter, Reimer has the capability to pick up the slack.
Nashville was a counter-punching team in Round 1 against Anaheim. I am not sure that strategy is the best way to come at this Sharks team. There are a few things that I believe the team needs to have in place…
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Special Teams – The Predators penalty kill was solid against the best power play unit in the NHL in Round 1. San Jose’s power play unit was outstanding against the Kings, converting five of 21 opportunities. The Sharks PK was just OK… allowing 3 goals in 14 opportunities against LA. The Predators only converted on 1 of 26 opportunities against Anaheim. The Sharks will not take near as many penalties as the Ducks so it will be up to Nashville to seize these precious opportunities and make the most of them.
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Goaltending - Pekka Rinne wqent 2-0 in the regular season against San Jose and was decent to begin the Anaheim series. He got better and better as the series progressed, posting a 2.45 GAA and a .915 save percentage for the series… but in games 6 and 7… Rinne posted a GAA of 1 and a .979 save percentage. If those last two games are indication of a Rinne roll starting, it could be a harbinger for great things for the Preds.
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Defense - Tied into the last bullet is the team’s defensive play. If they play the kind of lockdown defense they did in games 5, 6 and 7… this team will be just fine. Shea Weber and Roman Josi will be tasked to stop Pavelski and Thorton, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm will get the Couture / Donskol / Ward line. Barret Jackman and Anthony Bitetto will have to continue their improved play shown later in Round 1 as well.
Much is being made about a Nashville team being tired versus a rested San Jose team. Hockey players are creatures of habit… going seven games with Anaheim was taxing, but if you ask almost any player they will tell you, they would rather get going to the next round quickly. I would expect San Jose to take a period or two to get back up to speed in game one since they have been idle for a full week. Nashville needs to take advantage of this.
Staying in California is another advantage for Nashville… by the time they come back to Smashville next Monday they will have been there for almost a week… not having the additional travel will also help equalize the travel situation for both teams.
Game one game time is 9:30pm Central… watch parties at Bridgestone Arena and at Buffalo Wild Wings in Middle Tennessee. Coverage on 102.5 the Game and the Predators Radio Network with Pete Weber on the play-by-play and Brent Peterson on color. TV coverage is now taken over by NBC, games one and two on NBCSN.
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Cause for Joy – A real chance to get to the conference final, Nashville matches up well with San Jose and the Sharks have lost their past four playoff series after having at least five days off between rounds.
Cause for Concern – How taxing was a seven game series with the Ducks?
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Second Round Snapshots
Lightning / Islanders – NYI Leads 1-0 – Game 2 Sat @ TBL – 2pm – NBC
Capitals / Penguins – WSH leads 1-0 – Game 2 Sat @ WSH – 7pm – NBC
Stars / Blues – Series begins tonight @ DAL – 7pm - NBCSN
Sharks / Predators – Series begins tonight @ SJS – 9:30 - NBCSN
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