Games
Nashville Predators 2 - San Jose Sharks 5
It looked like the home team struck early in the game, as a turnover over five minutes in led to Melker Karlsson getting a breakaway. He would get a shot off, but it needed to be reviewed, as Anthony Bitetto slid into Pekke Rinne, dislodging the net. The review showed that Karlsson's shot never went in, even after the net was off its moorings. The game remained 0-0, and stayed that way for the rest of the period, as both teams could failed to find the back of the net. An early powerplay in the second helped the Predators open the scoring. Mike Fisher would receive a rink-wide pass and proceed to beat Jones with a shot over his shoulder. The Sharks pushed for most of the period, but could not tie the game. Nashville headed into the second intermission up 1-0. San Jose would get an early powerplay in the third, and took advantage of it. Tomas Hertl beat Rinne short side, tying the game 1-1. The Sharks continued to press, and were rewarded midway through the period. Joel Ward would find himself on a breakaway, and managed to out-wait Rinne, tucking the puck past a beaten Predators goaltender. Minutes later, San Jose was back on the powerplay. Logan Couture tipped Joe Pavelski's pass into the Predators net on the man advantage, extending the Sharks lead. Nashville had a late pushed, and pulled Rinne with under three minutes remaining. They managed to get one, as Roman Josi's point shot banked off a Shark defender's foot, hit Ryan Johansen, and found the back of the Sharks net. That was all Nashville could muster through. Couture added an empty netter to cap off the scoring. San Jose went on to win 5-2, taking a 1-0 series lead.
Nashville Predators 2 - San Jose Sharks 3
The first period in this game was similar to the one in the previous game: both teams got shots, but neither did much in the way of putting one in the net. The first period went by with both San Jose and Nashville still tied 0-0. The start of the second was much better, starting with Couture getting stopped on a partial breakaway. The rebound went right to Joonas Donskoi, and while he got a shot at an open net, Rinne managed to slide over just in time to prevent a goal. Both teams would go back-and-forth in shots, but again neither team could score. Late in the period, Nashville would get called for too many men. They tried to get out of it though, as Josi attempted to jump into the Sharks bench. It did not work, and San Jose went on a powerplay. It was what the Sharks needed to open the scoring. Brent Burns' point shot was stopped, but Couture potted home the rebound, putting the Sharks up 1-0. It stayed that way to end the second period. San Jose got the best chance early in the third, with Couture and Nick Spaling on a 2-on-1 while shorthanded. Spaling got a stick on the pass from Couture, but Rinne made the save to preserve the one-goal game. The Predators started to push back, and would tie the game midway through the third, thanks to Mattias Ekholm. While Nashville kept pushing, it was San Jose who managed to get the next goal. Pavelski buried a rebound to put the Sharks back in the lead. Joe Thornton added an empty netter moments later to make it 3-1. The game didn't end that way, as Johansen scored with seconds left in the game. The remaining four seconds ticked off, and San Jose officially won the game 3-2, extending their series lead.
San Jose Sharks 1 - Nashville Predators 4
Nashville came out firing, thanks in no small part to an early powerplay. They could not best Jones though, as the game remained goalless. It wasn't until later in the period when the first goa lwas scored. Patrick Marleau raced past two Predators, collected the loose puck, and deked past Rinne en route to sliding the puck into the open net. Nashville looked to tie the game, but could not do so, as San Jose ended the first period up 1-0. The Predators caught a break early in the second, as Donskoi was given a double-minor for high-sticking. Nashville did manage to get a goal on the four-minute man advantage. James Neal (who drew the penalty) one-timed a pass from Ekholm into the Sharks net, tying the game. Nashville kept it up, but it wasn't until play went to 4-on-4 when they struck again. Shea Weber blasted a loose puck past Jones, putting the Predators in the lead. The Sharks got a powerplay late in the period, but Rinne would not let anything by him. This time, it was Nashville who ended a period up a goal. San Jose kept pressing in the third, with their best chance squeaking by Rinne, but sliding across the crease instead of into the net. The Predators added to their lead minutes later, as Colin Wilson put home a loose puck. The Sharks kept pressing, but their efforts were all for naught. A powerplay goal by Filip Forsberg capped off the scoring. Nashville took Game 3 by a score of 4-1, pulling them to within a game of tying the series.
San Jose Sharks 3 - Nashville Predators 4 (3OT)
Goals came early in this one. Just 41 seconds into the game, Wilson buried a rebound to give the Predators the lead. It didn't take long for the Sharks to respond. Moments later, Burns' shot found it's way past Rinne, tying the game. The tie lasted until the halfway mark of the period. Neal's slapshot would be turned aside by Jones, but Mike Fisher was right there to pot home the rebound, restoring the lead for Nashville. A late powerplay gave the Predators the chance to extend their lead, but they failed to do so. The period ended with Nashville up 2-1 on San Jose. The Sharks pushed for a tying goal early in the second, but even with a 4-on-4 chance, could not tie the game until later in the period. During the waning seconds of a powerplay, Donskoi one-timed the puck past Rinne. A late powerplay for the Predators did do anything for them, as the second period ended with both teams tied 2-2. Both teams swapped powerplays early in the third, with Nashville getting more chances on theirs. San Jose didn't get much going on their first powerplay, but would correct that moments later when they got another man advantage. Only three seconds into it, Burns point shot found its way through Rinne and into the net, giving the Sharks their first lead of the game. The Predators pushed back, looking to tie the game. They would do so later in the period. Ryan Ellis' shot would be blocked, but the puck bounced right to Neal, who had no problem putting the puck into the Sharks net. It stayed tied 3-3 as the third period buzzer went, meaning overtime was needed to find a winner. Nashville pushed to end it early, as their best chance saw Johansen hit the far post on his shot. San Jose would find the back of the net over eight minutes into the extra frame. A rush ended with Joe Pavelski swiping the puck into the Predators net with his stick. The goal was immediately waved off, as seconds before, Pavelski barged into Rinne, taking him completely out of the play. The shots were relatively even, but one extra period was not enough for both teams. A second overtime would be played. An early powerplay gave the Predators a chance to end it, but they could not capitalize on it. The Sharks controlled play for most of the fifth period, getting a couple great chances. Rinne was there though, keeping the puck out of the net. A second overtime was not enough, as a third overtime would be played in this marathon game. Marleau had a chance to end the game early in the period, but his wraparound attempt slid right through the crease. The Sharks once again control the puck most of the time, and even got a powerplay, but it would be the Predators who ended the game. Mike Fisher collected a rebound and beat Jones 11 minutes into the sixth period. Nashville's 4-3 win tied the series 2-2.
Nashville Predators 1 - San Jose Sharks 5
The Sharks were on the attack from the get-go, and got multiple chances to open the scoring. It wasn't until midway through the first when they did so. Donskoi's pass into the slot found a streaking Marleau, who wasted no time shooting the puck past Rinne to make it 1-0 for the Sharks. The lead stood for five minutes, as Fisher finished off a tic-tac-toe play to tie the game. San Jose pressed to regian the lead, and would be successful. The Joes (Thornton and Pavelski) connected, with Pavelski being the one to get the goal. The Sharks kept up the attack, but would not score for the rest of the period, as they heading into the first intermission up 2-1. It didn't take long for San Jose to add to their lead in the second. Couture would be hit with a pass and headed up on a breakaway. He managed to slide the puck through Rinne. making it 3-1 for the home team. Nashville started to push back, but could not get much for chances in the period. A late powerplay for San Jose resulted in Pavelski scoring his second of the game. The second period ended with the Sharks up 4-1. Nashville continued to push in the third, looking for a way to get back into the game. It got heated later in the period. Hertl's wraparound attempt was stopped, but kept jamming away at the puck, which created a crowd. Minor penalties were exchanged, with Johansen and Mike Ribeiro getting misconduct penalties as well. Carter Hutton would replace Rinne after the dust settled. Melker Karlsson scored in the last minute of the game to cap it. San Jose won 5-1, giving them a 3-2 series lead.
San Jose Sharks 3 - Nashville Predators 4 (OT)
It took a couple of minutes, but San Jose would take control early in the first. They would get the first goal of the game midway through the first, as Chris Tierney deflected Marc-Edouard Vlasic's point shot past Rinne. It was reviewed as Tierney's stick was high, but it was determined to be not high enough to wave off the goal. Just two minutes later, Tierney was at it again, burying a rebound to make it 2-0 for the Sharks. The Predators managed to get one minutes later, as Josi's backhander found it's way past Jones. A push by Nashville late in the period wasn't enough. San Jose ended the fist period up 2-1. The teams started the period 4-on-4, thanks to a couple of roughing penalties late in the first. This was favourable for Nashville, as they managed to score with the opened-up ice. Johansen deked into the slot and slid a backhander past Jones, tying the game. The Predators kept up their play, looking to take the lead. Despite dominating the puck for the last five minutes, Nashville could not take the lead. Both teams heading into the second intermission tied 2-2. The Predators kept pushing to start the third, but even a powerplay was of little help to them. The Sharks got a powerplay of their own midway through the period, and took advantage of it. The puck moved around and found Couture, who had no problem beating a downed Rinne. The Sharks would not be in the lead for long. Just under three minutes later, Wilson finished off a tic-tac-toe play to tie the game. It was all Nashville after that, as the home team looked to win the game and push the series to the distance. They didn't score for the rest of the third though, as regulation ended with both team tied 3-3. Overtime was needed, but unlike last time, it wasn't a marathon. Just two minutes into the extra frame, Viktor Arvidsson skated into the Sharks zone and beat Jones with a backhander from the faceoff dot. Nashville's 4-3 win in overtime helped them tie the series 3-3, and made it go to a Game 7.
Nashville Predators 0 - San Jose Sharks 5
Much like Game 5, it was the Sharks were on the attack. While they racked up the shots, they needed a powerplay midway through the first to open the scoring. Pavelski snapped a shot past Rinne on the man advantage, giving San Jose a 1-0 lead. the Sharks kept it up, and would be rewarded later in the period. Joel Ward would poke the puck past a defender, skate in, and slide the puck through Rinne and into the net. San Jose ended the first period up 2-0. Just 36 seconds into the second period, Couture would collect a bouncing puck and snap it by Rinne. Nashville started to push back, looking for a way to get on the board. Despite their efforts, it would not happen in the second. San Jose was still in the lead after 40 minutes, this time by a score of 3-0. The Sharks had a powerplay to start the third, and did not waste that opportunity. Couture's initial shot was stopped, but Thornton was there to poke home the rebound. Just three minutes later, Marleau finished off a 2-on-1 with Couture, scoring the Sharks fifth goal of the game. The massive deficit did not deter Nashville's efforts, as they continued to press for a goal. One was never scored, as Jones did everything he could to keep the puck out of the net. San Jose went on to win the game 5-0, and clinched the series 4-3.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- Have to give a ton of credit to Nashville. They weren't expected to do much in the first round, and ended up being a game away from the Western Conference Final.
- It ended up being a decent series, but the ending was a letdown.
- While I'm glad the Sharks won, part of me wonders how cool it would have been to see the Predators get to the third round for the first time in franchise history.
The Sharks new secret weapon: Joe Paw-velski
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| (Picture via NHL.com) |
Highlight of the Series
Old Man Marleau can still wheel past all those youngsters. OK, so Josi and Weber aren't exactly young, but still pretty impressive by Marleau.
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