They settled it down and played a very poised final three games of the series, but it revealed an Achilles heel for this team.Series Prediction: Okay here’s my prediction: Sharks in six.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Since early in his career in Nashville, the playoffs have brought out the best in Joel Ward.
Ward took a lead pass from rookie Joonas Donskoi to break in alone after the Sharks forced a turnover at center.
Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk tied it at 1 with 8:28 left in the third period with a shot from the top of the left circle after Dallas failed to clear the puck out of the zone.
Rinne had a 10-5-4 record and a sparkling. 945 save percentage and 1.80 goals against average in 20 career games against the Sharks before Friday.
Game 2 is Sunday at SAP Center. He also made a nifty stop with 6:32 to go in the first, sliding over to stop Viktor Arvidsson’s wraparound attempt with his right pad.
Ryan Johansen briefly made it 3-2 with Rinne on the bench in the final minutes before Couture scored his second goal of the night into the empty net.
The Sharks started to apply some consistent pressure after Fisher’s goal, but Rinne stood tall.
The Sharks gained the equalizer early in the third period as Tomas Hertl’s power-play goal at 2:37 found a way under the left catching glove of Rinne and just inside the near post.
Late-game fight: As the horn sounded, the Predators and Sharks tussled along the boards, splitting off to “set a tone for Game 2”, as NBC announcer Chris Cuthbert said. “To be able to come out of Game 1 with a win, even though I think we didn’t play our best 60 minutes, is good, because I think we’ll be better in Game 2”.
The Sharks went 11 for 14 (78.6 percent) on the penalty kill against the Kings to rank ninth out of 16 teams in the playoffs after one round.
Ward, who had four assists for the Sharks in their first-round win over the Los Angeles Kings, put the Sharks ahead to stay as he scored one of the prettiest goals of the postseason.
“The one thing he does really well is he plays the puck, he’s really active, he catches a lot of pucks”, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. He doesn t want to make a mistake with it, so if it s up in the glass, it s more hard for him to make that read, Sharks forward Tommy Wingels said, adding that a good dump and chase takes the goalie out of it and that s where our focus I going to be.
After winning their first Game 7 in franchise history, the Predators enter Round 2 for the third time since becoming a franchise in 1998.
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In the first round this year, the team that won the first game in each of the eight series also won the round. San Jose Sharks’ Brent Burns (88) reaches for the puck in front Nashville Predators’ Mike Ribeiro during the second period of Game 1 in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference semifinal series Friday, April 29, 2016… The Devils played Florida that year in the first round and won Game 6 in overtime and Game 7 in double overtime. Hertl then fired a shot just under Rinne’s glove on the short side.
