Nashville Predators: Looking Back At Every 2nd Round Series in Franchise History

Predators lose in 7 games to San Jose

Another heartbreaking loss to the Sharks in the playoffs. It marked the third time the Sharks had eliminated the Predators from the playoffs. That’s a hard pill to swallow still to this day. It’s possible the Predators can get some revenge in this year’s playoffs, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

This series is still very fresh in the minds of diehard Predators fans. After a crazy first-round victory over the Ducks, the Predators were gassed. Once again they were running into a team destined for the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks had a roster full of superstars that are still on the current squad, led by Joe Pavelski. The Predators protected home-ice in all three of their wins in this series, but so did the Sharks.

That gut-wrenching Game 7 loss also marks Shea Weber‘s last game in a Predators’ jersey before being traded for P.K. Subban. Also, check out what Pekka Rinne’s quote following this elimination game:

"“It’s very difficult right now. We worked so hard to get to this point. You never know when you’re going to get this chance. Guys get older. That’s the worst feeling. It’s an empty feeling.”"

Just a year later, the Predators are going to be in the midst of a wild ride to the Stanley Cup Final, and captivate an entire city.

I left this series realizing that the Predators are just a few pieces away from getting over the hump and past the second round. They put everything they had into this series, including forcing a Game 7 back in San Jose. Going into that game, I thought it was a long shot that they would have enough gas in the tank to win their first ever second-round series.