Sharks vs. Predators: Preview and Prediction for 2016 NHL Playoffs Matchup

The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators are on to the second round and are two of the four NHL teams still alive that have never won the Stanley Cup. It sets up an intriguing battle—one team is an offensive dynamo built around impact forwards, and the other is known for a strong defensive group.

The Predators finished fourth in the Central Division in the regular season, but they advanced to the playoffs on the strength of their overall record. As a wild-card entry, the team headed to California to play the Anaheim Ducks, entering the postseason as an absolute underdog. Nashville won the first two games, lost to Anaheim three times and then won out while going the full seven games.

The Sharks finished No. 4 in league scoring, and they rode that high-octane offense to a quality season. The club finally bested the Los Angeles Kings and moved on to the second round in convincing fashion. In dispatching the Kings in five games, San Jose served notice to the rest of the Western Conference.

Nashville won two of the three games between the two teams during the regular season, outscoring San Jose 10-5 in the process. Here is a complete analysis of the Predators-Sharks series and what we can look forward to in the next two weeks.

First-Round Recap

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

San Jose Sharks

Despite finishing only four points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the regular season, San Jose's famous heartbreaking exits from the playoffs gave the opening-round series between the two California teams a different feel. San Jose was cast as the underdog, and the two-time NHL champion Kings were the giants ready to steamroll the opposition.

San Jose shocked the Kings by winning the first two—in Los Angeles—before losing an overtime game back in San Jose. After that close loss, the Sharks won their own close contest in Game 4 before winning 6-3 in the finale.

Offensively, Joe Pavelski scored five goals in five games, Brent Burns led the team with eight points and Logan Couture impacted the series in a big way. The real story is depth, as 10 different Sharks scored goals during the series, and San Jose scored 16 in five games, an impressive total in a defensive league.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators were decided underdogs entering their series against the Anaheim Ducks. Early in the series, Predators goalie Pekka Rinne outplayed Anaheim's John Gibson in Game 1 and Game 2. After that, the Ducks won three of the five games but could never gain complete control of the series.

Offensively, the Predators received scoring across the board, with no one emerging as a dominant force. Shea Weber, James Neal, Colin Wilson and Mattias Ekholm were the only Nashville players with more than one goal through the entire series—and each of those four had only two goals in the seven games.

Although the Predators won the series, they did it in an ugly manner. They were outscored, and their goaltender was outplayed after the first two games, but none of that matters today. Nashville is through and on its way to the second round.

Key Storylines

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Can Joe Pavelski stay hot?

San Jose Sharks veteran Joe Pavelski scored five times in the opening series, and those goals came on only 14 shots. There is no chance he can sustain a 35 percent shooting rate, but he has enjoyed some outstanding playoff runs in the past.

Consistent scoring among Sharks players doesn't go much beyond four or five names. Pavelski was the only San Jose player to score more than 30 goals in the regular, with Brent Burns, Patrick Marleau, Tomas Hertl and Joel Ward each scoring 20-plus. 

Pavelski's total of 38 goals in the regular season was easily the best among Sharks players, and if he can keep putting pucks in the net, San Jose will go a long way this spring.

Can the Nashville Predators defense slow down the Sharks forwards?

Nashville's strength comes from its fabulous defensive group. Roman Josi and Shea Weber played over 26 minutes a night during the series against the Anaheim Ducks—nearly half of the game for the top pairing.

The second pairing—Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis—were both over 21 minutes in the series against the Ducks. The combination of the top two pairings shortened the game in a big way, effectively neutralizing the impact forwards of Anaheim.

The same deployment is likely against San Jose, and it was effective during the regular season.

Can San Jose rotate its defensemen evenly?

During the series against the Los Angeles Kings, the Sharks rolled their pairings consistently. At even strength, all six defenders saw between 13 and 19 minutes a night. In fact, San Jose's ice-time leader among defenders—Brent Burns—ranks No. 24 among NHL defenders this spring.

Fresh legs mean quick reactions, good decisions and more battles won. One of the problems for San Jose in previous seasons came from heavy teams like Los Angeles wearing down the defense.

Better depth on the back line this playoff season paid dividends for the Sharks in the first round, and it will be important to see more of the same in the second.

Biggest Mismatch: San Jose Sharks Are a Superior Offensive Team

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The San Jose Sharks scored 16 goals in five games during their first-round victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The Nashville Predators scored 14 goals in their seven games against the Anaheim Ducks—meaning San Jose scored 1.20 more goals per game than Nashville in the first round of the playoffs.

The enormous gap in offense was less prevalent in the regular season, but the Sharks ranked No. 4 and the Predators came in at No. 12 in goals per game. Special teams also favor San Jose, which scored five goals with the man advantage in the first round, while Nashville had only one tally on the power play.

Nashville survived against the Ducks, who are a quality team built to go deep in the playoffs. There is every chance the Predators will find the net more often in this series than they did in California against the Ducks. But going into this series, it looks like the offensive edge belongs to San Jose.

The Sharks Will Win if the Shots Keep Going in the Net

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Three teams filled the net in the first round, and all three made it to the second round. The San Jose Sharks scored one goal more per game than allowed against the Los Angeles Kings during their series, a fantastic pace.

One of the key features of the San Jose offense is that it comes in waves. The offense against Los Angeles was led by Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, but there is plenty of firepower available behind that trio. Cagey veterans like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward are also contributing, giving the Sharks several lines that can cash.

Even the depth players like Joonas Donskoi, Melker Karlsson and Chris Tierney are finding ways to contribute.

The Predators Will Win if Pekka Rinne Can Outduel Martin Jones

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

In the Predators' first-round victory over the Anaheim Ducks, Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne won the battle of the netminders early. His save percentage for the playoffs so far is .915—a solid number that has him at No. 10 overall across the NHL. It represents a spike from his .908 save percentage for the regular season, a total that was slightly below the league average of .910.

Rinne is vital to Nashville's cause because it is unlikely his team will fill the San Jose net. In order for the Predators to win the series, the defense will need to shine, and the goaltending will have to be sharp.

In the opening-round series against the Ducks, Nashville won while averaging two goals a game and getting outscored 17-14 in the seven games. San Jose averaged 3.2 goals per game, and while the Nashville defense may be able to help with shot suppression, the key to the series is Rinne.

Prediction: Predators in 7

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The old saying of "defense wins championships" will win the day, but it will be close. If this series is a quick one, lasting only four or five games, odds are the San Jose Sharks offense rips apart the Nashville Predators defense or Pekka Rinne falters.

If Nashville can maintain its button-down coverage, clear the slot quickly and take care of rebounds in a timely fashion, the Predators win this series. Staying out of the penalty box will be key, and forcing San Jose's defense to handle the puck and make quick decisions in its own end—and turn the puck over—will likely lead to much of the offense.

San Jose didn't quite score at will against the Los Angeles Kings, but there were plenty of goals and many great looks available to the Sharks in that series. Nashville is a different team in this area; the defense is mobile, capable of getting the puck to forwards in a heartbeat, and effective in reducing defensive-zone time.

San Jose finished with 98 points during the regular season, but Nashville was close behind with 96. That small gap reflects how close this series is likely to be, but Rinne's uneven performance over the entire season is a major concern.

The difference will be the Nashville defense. A veteran group—two pairings that will play about 50 minutes—effectively reducing time and space on every entry by those talented San Jose forwards. The Sharks take it to the limit, but the Predators win the day.

Nashville wins it in seven games.

All advanced stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com.