The Nashville Predators finished off the Anaheim Ducks and are making a quick trip to take on the San Jose Sharks.
The Nashville Predators had a hard-fought series between the Anaheim Ducks that ended very recently in Game 7, but in the world of playoff hockey, there is no rest for the weary. The Predators will be facing the San José Sharks in round two, and that series starts on Friday.
The Sharks battled the Los Angeles Kings winning four games to one in their best of seven series. Beating the Kings is not an easy task. Jonathan Quick is one of those goalies that can just flip that switch and be playoff ready no matter how the team is playing at the end of the year. They are a playoff tested group and they are two time Stanley Cup Champions as well, so as Predator fans we should give some credit where credit is due for the Sharks.
The Sharks are a team led by their big three leaders; captain Joe Pavelski, “Big” Joe Thornton, and defenseman Brett Burns. The team also have solid role players in Tomas Hertl, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, and Paul Martin. I call these guys role players, but let’s be honest they are not just role players they are high-end players. This team is well built with veterans and young talent, and they play extremely well together.
More from Predlines
- Nashville Predators 2023 Training Camp Spotlight: Kiefer Sherwood
- Captain Candidates if Nashville Predators Didn’t Have Roman Josi
- The All-Time 25 Games or Less Nashville Predators Lineup
- Nashville Predators 2023 Training Camp Spotlight: Cody Glass
- Joakim Kemell Flashes his Offense in Nashville Predators Loss to Tampa
This is a group of players that will shoot the puck at you constantly and a team that can get those gritty goals. According to the NHL website, the Sharks had the 3rd best power play unit in the league. The Preds just faced the number one unit in Anaheim, and played against their power play very well so perhaps some similar magic can happen. Thankfully during the season, their penalty kill was 21st in the league which is great news for the Preds because we did not do so well against Anaheim’s PK even with all the chances we were given.
Finally, let’s not forget their goaltender Martin Jones. Former LA King backup now a solid number one guy in San José. Jones has proven his worth as he not only outdueled former teammate Jonathan Quick, but he also played some incredible games during the regular season. If the Sharks want to win this series Martin will need to steal a few games here and there.
Now as we all now know, the Predators fought all the way down to Game 7. Their first Game 7 was a smashing success as they defeated the Ducks 2-1. A few things I think we can take away from this series is that we know what kind of teams are in the
Pacific Division. They are big bodied players that use their body well throughout the game. They check hard, they pressure you, and they make you earn it. The Sharks are no different and I think it’s good that the Preds got a big taste of that with Anaheim.
The Preds also showed how good our penalty kill was in that series, and how much extra work we may need to put into our power play. Special teams are key in the playoffs; they can change a game in an instant. Pekka Rinne was his old acrobatic self this last series, and with the forward group in San José we are going to need him to play that way for four more wins.
Our scoring has relied on Colin Wilson, James Neal, and our defense. Sure we got some scoring by other guys but let’s remember both Wilson and Neal scored two goals at important times in each game respectfully, and our offensive defensemen just had at it going on all series long. We are gonna need our core guys scoring, including Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg if we want to make it to Round Three.
So, how does this series finish out? Well, The Preds will be playing a much less dirty team in San José, compared to Anaheim, so there is opportunity for less penalties going around. If that’s the case the Nashville Predators have a good chance as we know we have one of the best teams when it comes to 5v5 hockey. Our core guys will step up and make the right plays. I will predict a Hat Trick from Prince Filip, at least one or two power play slap shots by our captain Shea Weber, and some amazing saves by Pekka.
PredLines Staff Predictions: Doug Zach Chance Lincoln Charles Marcus Ben
Next: Second Defensive Pair Spark Preds
Prediction: Nashville Predators win series 4 games to 2. This one won’t go the full distance but it will still need more than four games.