SAN JOSE, Calif. — Captain Joe Pavelski got San Jose off to a fast start in Game 7 with his franchise record-tying ninth goal of the playoffs to send the Sharks to their first Western Conference final in five years
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Captain Joe Pavelski got San Jose off to a fast start in Game 7 with his franchise record-tying ninth goal of the playoffs to send the Sharks to their first Western Conference final in five years with a 5-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Joel Ward, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau also scored as San Jose bounced back from a lackluster loss in Game 6 to thoroughly dominate the Predators to reach the conference final for the fourth time in franchise history.
Martin Jones made 20 saves for San Jose’s first playoff shutout in six years. The home team won all seven games in this series.
After blowing a 3-0 series lead to Los Angeles in 2014 in their most noteworthy in a long list of playoff collapses and missing the postseason entirely last year, the Sharks are now one round away from advancing to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history.
San Jose will open the conference final on the road Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.
The Predators’ most successful season ended in bitter disappointment as they were unable to repeat their Game 7 road win in the first round against Anaheim to make the conference final for the first time.
Defensive miscues by Nashville’s two top defensemen, captain Shea Weber and Roman Josi, led to early San Jose goals as Pekka Rinne got little help from his teammates.
