San Jose Sharks Set For Music City Showdown

The San Jose Sharks continue their four-game road trip after the All-Star break with a stop in Music City as they get set to face the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The Sharks have split the first two games on this trip, falling in Anaheim before bouncing back with a victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, after riding a four-game win streak into the All-Star break, the Predators have dropped their first two games of the second half. Nashville sits in fifth place in the Central Division and holds down the final wild card spot in the West with 56 points, just one point ahead of the Minnesota Wild.

Needless to say, this will be another big game between two teams jockeying for position within the tightly contested Western Conference. This will be the second matchup of the year as San Jose dropped a 2-1 decision to the Predators at SAP Center back on Oct. 28.

Players to Watch:

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Sharks: Joonas Donskoi. One of the reasons for the turn around in the Sharks play of late has been the improvement and production of some of their young players, including Donskoi. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last 12 games, including his eighth goal of the season last time out.

Predators: Ryan Johansen. Johansen was a big acquisition for Nashville, coming over from the Columbus Blue Jackets as he provides the Predators a true number one center, something they’ve always lacked. In 12 games since the trade, Johansen has produced at a point per game clip with four goals, eight assists and a plus-three rating.

Keys to the Game

1. Contain the Nashville Defense

The Predators blue line likes to jump into the play to help generate offense for a Nashville team that can struggle to score at times. Four of the top seven scorers for the Predators come from their defense, including their top-two scorers in Roman Josi (10 goals, 27 assists) and Shea Weber (13 goals, 20 assists).

2. Solve Pekka Rinne

While Rinne is having one of the worst seasons of his career, he always brings his A-game against the Sharks. In 19 career starts, Rinne has posted a 1.79 goals-against-average and a .946 save percentage against San Jose, including a 20-save performance back on Oct. 28. The Sharks will need to get plenty of bodies in front and look to capitalize on any rebounds that may afford themselves.

3. Keep Doing What You’re Doing

The Sharks played the perfect road game against the Blues as they notched their 17th road win of the year, tying them with the Washington Capitals for most victories away from home ice in the NHL. San Jose is a confident group right now and will look to continue their run of play in Nashville.

Next: Sharks Bounce Back With Victory Over Blues

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