It’s time for Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs. Let’s take a look at one of the upcoming series:
Pacific Division: (#3) San Jose Sharks vs (WC1) Nashville Predators
Here’s the exciting part about this series. Neither team is very accomplished in the postseason in their young history as a franchise. In their 25 years of existence, the San Jose Sharks have made the Western Conference Final three times, but never have advanced past it. The Nashville Predators have only ever been to the Second Round twice before, losing both times.
San Jose slew their personal dragon in the first round, besting the Los Angeles Kings in five games. All but the final game of the series were decided by just one goal, and Game 5 was tied heading into the third period (6-3 final). The team that won the most road games in the league took all three games in the Staples Center.
The Nashville Predators managed to take down one of the best teams in the NHL in seven games. The Ducks, who were the hottest team in the league for essentially the entire span of the final four months, could not muster more than one goal past Pekka Rinne in the winner-take-all seventh game. The owners of the best special teams numbers were bounced. Bruce Boudreau worsened to 1-7 in Game 7s in his career, and now it’s looking like the Ducks are slamming the door behind him on his way out.
But most importantly, the Predators established themselves as a legit contender. They were far from perfect, but they were resilient and got some incredible defensive contributions from their top pair.
Let’s take a look at some of the keys to victory for each team:
Why the Sharks will win: Pressure, pressure, pressure.
When Nashville was thrown up against the wall in Games 3 and 4 last series, they fumbled and looked like a jittery team. They settled it down and played a very poised final three games of the series, but it revealed an Achilles heel for this team. When the forecheck is aggressive, the Preds play on their heels, especially when their top pairing defensemen are not on the ice. Players not named Weber or Josi had a very hard time breaking the puck out of their own zone against quick forecheckers like Ryan Getzlaf or even Chris Stewart. Against the likes of Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, they are going to have to be a lot more aware. Pekka Rinne is an imperfect goaltender. If San Jose can pepper him with shots, they can be let in from any angle. The key is to attack the puck carrier and use their size to their advantage.
San Jose’s X-Factor: Winning in Smashville.
The Nashville Predators got out to a commanding 2-0 lead in their first round series, only to give it right back with some shaky play at home. Anaheim ramped up the pressure on the forecheck and forced a lot of errors in the defensive zone. San Jose’s resident Selke snub Joe Thornton could cause a lot of havoc on the attack. Now that San Jose has home ice advantage, they will need to take at least one of the first two games of the series. Against the Sharks, there is no such thing as home ice advantage.
Why the Predators will win: They know the Pacific.
Nashville matched up very well against the Pacific Division this year. Even though the Pacific is praised for being a big, fast, possession-dominant grouping at the top, the Preds still managed to go 13-3-5 against west coast teams this season. They were 2-0-1 against the Sharks, with their loss coming in the skills competition. They had only one regulation loss to a Californian team this year, and it was against the team they just bested, the Ducks. It will be interesting to see if their trend of success continues.
Nashville’s X-Factor: The powerplay.
The Preds had only six powerplay opportunities against the San Jose Sharks this season and did not convert on any of them. San Jose is a disciplined team, ranking 7th in penalty kill minutes and times shorthanded. They do own the worst penalty kill percentage of all remaining playoff teams, however. The Sharks allowed three powerplay goals in 14 opportunities in the first round. Nashville had just one goal on the man advantage in 26 tries against the league’s top penalty killing unit. The Preds cannot be frustrated by their lack of success in the first round. They are going up against a far worse shorthanded unit, and need to keep their heads up. Shea Weber has the lone powerplay goal, surprise surprise.
Like virtually every other series remaining in the NHL playoffs, this could very easily go the distance. It will probably turn a lot of heads with just how exciting and physical it is, much like Nashville’s opening series. People discount the smaller market teams, but this is a great thing for hockey.
Oh, and Brent Burns and Paul Martin vs Roman Josi and Shea Weber? That is going to be awesome. Weber and Burns lead their respective teams in points.
Prediction: Sharks in 7.
