- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Second-round preview: Sharks vs. Predators
- Updated: April 28, 2016
9:33 AM ETSan Jose Sharks (third seed) versus Nashville Predators (first wild-card in the West)
The Predators and the Sharks, just like everyone expected, right? No, it certainly wasn’t. It’s a new day in the Western Conference and the Sharks and Predators face off in the second round while Pacific Division favorites the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings have been dispatched. San Jose beating L.A. wasn’t nearly as big an upset, if at all, than Nashville taking out the Pacific Division-champion Ducks. Within that Predators dressing room on Wednesday night after a 2-1 Game 7 win in Anaheim, there was a true sense of accomplishment. But also a realization they had very little time to refocus. “We need to realize we’re moving on and we still have work after this,” said Predators captain Shea Weber. No rest for the Preds as Game 1 in San Jose goes Friday night at SAP Center. “They’ll definitely be more rested, but hopefully they’ll be more rusty, too,” said Predators center Mike Fisher. For Nashville, it’s a second-round date with yet another big-boy California team. “I feel like they provide a similar challenge as Anaheim,” Predators goalie Pekka Rinne said of the Sharks. “Their top players are some of the top players in the league, and really dangerous individuals. Their power play is very good. Very similar to me at least [to Anaheim].”
How they win
San Jose: An NHL coach after the Sharks beat the Kings in the opening round told me, “They’re the best team in the NHL right now.” He said if you looked at how the Sharks have been playing in the final month of the regular season in games that mattered, it was a tell-tale sign of where their game was headed right before the playoffs. Boy, did the Kings ever find that out. And what killed the Kings was the Sharks’ foot speed — they were a step ahead of L.A. all series long in getting to loose pucks and open space. Another key factor is that the Sharks have been home and cooled since last Friday night after dispatching the Kings while the Preds had to slug it out over seven games to get by Anaheim. That’s no small factor at this time of year to enter a series with full energy and healthy bodies.
Nashville: The …
continue reading in source espn.go.com
