The San Jose Sharks second-round opponent will be either the Nashville Predators or the Anaheim Ducks. Sizing up these two possible opponents in the Western Conference Semi-Final round, Sharks fans should start cheering for the Nashville Predators to win the final two games in the series.
The forward group of the Predators has skill but not the size and heft of the Ducks forward group. The Predators likely boast solid scoring throughout the line-up but do not match-up well against the bigger and heavier Sharks . The offense has come in spurts and without a noted shutdown center to handle the Sharks top two lines as the versatile and dangerous Brent Burns, San Jose would likely be able to execute offensively against the Predators.
A vaunted defensive corps is still the hallmark of Nashville and contributed heavily to offensive production this year. Shea Weber is still an excellent top-pair defender who can handle big minutes against top lines. Roman Josi has become one of the games greats and has increased his point totals each of the last four years. After the top pair, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm generated 32 and 35 points, respectively, in the regular season. However when compared to the Anaheim defense, the Nashville defense is not as physical. The Sharks forward unit size is an advantage and would benefit from the additional time and space with the puck. The Predators defense certainly will feel Sharks physical play as well over the source of a long series.
Even with a talented defense, Nashville has for years relied heavily on the play of goalie Pekka Rinne. After five postseason games this year, Rinne’s save percentage is part a group of goalies that include Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick. To be mentioned with those two netminders is usually a great thing. Unfortunately, that is not exactly the case this postseason.
|
Name |
Wins |
Losses |
Save Percentage |
Goals Against Avg |
|
Pekka Rinne |
2 |
3 |
0.889 |
3.02 |
|
Jonathan Quick |
1 |
4 |
0.886 |
3.04 |
|
Henrik Lundqvist |
1 |
3 |
0.867 |
4.39 |
Carter Hutton is available, but is not a viable option, for the Predators. Rinne may be having a rough season, but still is has the more than a slight edge in sheer talent despite his skills being slightly diminished. Nashville will be led onto the ice by Rinne unless he physically cannot get on his pads.
But what if the Ducks win? Anaheim is yet another heavy, fast Pacific Division team. Frederik Andersen has been in net for all three of the Ducks wins thus far and is sporting a phenomenal .966 save percentage. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf both have feasted on the Sharks over the years and possess the size and skill to match-up with Joe Thornton and company. The Sharks likely get an edge in secondary scoring, but that looks to be the only clear win comparing the two squads. The Sharks will face a team much like themselves and would have a much harder time with a tough and confident Ducks roster.
But there is still at least one game, maybe two until the Sharks know who they will face. Nashville was the Wild Card “cross over” team to fill out the Pacific Division bracket and currently is down 3-2 in the opening round series against Anaheim. But looking ahead to the next round, the Sharks will be hoping to visit the Music City. Nashville provides a more favorable match-up for San Jose to move on to the Conference Final and hopefully, their elusive shot at the Stanley Cup.
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