San Jose Sharks Pivotal Matchups Against Predators
The Sharks and Predators have some familiarity, but here are the critical matchups to watch in this series.
The San Jose Sharks are finally returning to the ice tomorrow night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Nashville Predators.
San Jose will have to shake off the rust as they will have had an entire week off between games, while Nashville heads into this series on a high note following their thrilling, Game 7 victory.
Team teal struggled during the regular season against the Predators as they dropped two of the three meetings, although they did win the most recent matchup on April 2nd. With puck drop less than 24 hours away, here are a few pivotal matchups that will help determine this series.
Martin Jones vs. Pekka Rinne
In any playoff series, it always begins between the pipes where Jones and Rinne will do battle. Jones was very solid in his first series as the number one netminder as he outperformed Jonathan Quick by a wide margin.
Jones posted a 2.18 GAA and a .912 save percentage in the first round, and looked calm and collected even though he was under siege at different times. He will have to be steady against a Nashville attack that likes to generate plenty of shots from the blue line, and rebound control will be another important key.
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On the other side is Rinne who has owned the Sharks throughout his career. In fact, he’s posted a 1.80 GAA and .945 save percentage in 20 career starts against team teal.
While he certainly struggled at times this year, he was at his best when the Predators’ backs were against the wall, allowing just two goals on 64 shots in games six and seven. San Jose must get multiple bodies in front which is easier said than done against this Nashville defense.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic vs. Filip Forsberg
Vlasic is the primary shutdown defensemen for team teal, and he acquitted himself quite nicely in his return from injury in the first round. While he had his rusty moments at different points, he provided the kind of stability on the back end the Sharks have been searching for.
In five games, he recorded an assist and a plus-two rating while averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time, second only to Brent Burns.
He will likely be deployed against the top line of Ryan Johansen, James Neal and Forsberg, with Forsberg being one of the top young talents in the league.
Forsberg led the Predators with 33 goals and 64 points during the regular season, including one goal and two assists in three games against San Jose. Vlasic and the rest of his teammates will need to key on this top line throughout this series.
Joe Thornton vs. Shea Weber
Finally, we come to the big boy matchup of Thornton against Weber. This should be fascinating to watch these two go at it all series as Thornton, along with his linemates Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl, dominated their first-round series.
The trio combined for seven goals, four assists and a plus-eight rating in round one as there was no answers for the Sharks top line. Thornton is the cog that makes the entire engine go, and he will need a big series against Weber and Roman Josi who did a nice job of limiting the time and space for the Ducks top players.
Weber is the heart and soul of this Predators team as the long-time captain is a beast on the blue line. He’s the focal point of the Nashville power play as they funnel many of their chances looking for his one-time blast from the point.
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He tied for the team-lead with two goals and three assists in round one while averaging 26:36 of ice time per game.
It will be a true battle down low between these great players, and the Sharks won’t be moving on unless Thornton can get the better of this matchup against Weber.