Pretty amazing, isn't it? The Reds haven't been in any Game 7s since before I was born, I've never been able to stay loyal to an NBA team, and every other sport I follow doesn't bother with series. My most stressful playoff experiences have been Bengals games, and the last couple of those haven't had any stress at all because I knew they were losing. Up until this point, the Preds' playoff experiences mirrored my other pro teams, which has made them easy for me to support.
I expect the worst, so when the worst doesn't happen I am pleased. Wednesday night was quite the experience and one I won't forget anytime soon. I was really happy for a few hours...and then I remembered there was another round starting on Friday and I better get a preview out there for good luck. So, once again...here's the tale of the tape!
Playoff History
The Sharks are 14-17 in playoff series. They've only missed the playoffs six times in twenty-four years, but have yet to get past the conference semi-finals. Considering they've won the Pacific Division six times, including four straight from 2007-08 to 2010-11, that's pretty disappointing. Nashville's record is now 3-8, further below .500 than the Sharks, but they've never had a team with a division title & never been the sexy pick to win the Cup like the Sharks have been. So we'll go with a Push.
Coaching
This is Peter DeBoer's first season as Sharks head coach. He was the Florida Panthers' head coach from 2008-09 to 2010-11, then New Jersey Devils' head coach from 2011-12 to 2014-15. He keeps getting work in the league, but has only one playoff appearance to his credit before this one. He did well in his 1st season in both Florida & New Jersey, then his teams fell off the next two seasons before he was dismissed from each gig. Sharks fans have to be hoping this isn't the high point. Or, if it is, that it leads to a Cup.
Peter Laviollette is now 5-1 in Game 7s and has shown that he still has the coaching skills to take teams further than expected in the playoffs. When it comes to Peters, I gotta give the advantage to the Preds.
Location
San Jose is one of the better places to live in California. It's the center of the high tech world and a lot of new rich people live there. The downside is that the cost of living is completely ridiculous and most of the people are socially awkward and no fun. Nashville is more affordable and more fun. The debate between San Jose & Nashville comes down to this: Would you rather party with a bunch of computer dweebs or a bunch of hot country girls?
That's what I thought. Advantage Preds.
Team Name
Gotta give the Sharks the advantage on this one. I'm a big mark for alliteration, and "Predators" is still problematic. I had to unfollow a Fox Sports employee because they kept refering to the "Sexual Predators" during the Ducks series. What can I say, I get overly sensitive during these series.
Uniforms
Nashville
San Jose
I loved the teal look back in the 1990s. One has to give San Jose credit for sticking with it when every single other franchise that adopted the color has changed their look since then, but it really is quite dated. I'm gonna go with the Preds and their flair for the gold.
Mascot
Nashville: Gnash
San Jose: S.J. Sharkie
I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty disappointed with San Jose's contribution here. I was expecting big things because sharks are among my favorite fish, but S.J. Sharkie is a pretty lame name and frankly he's the least dangerous looking shark I've ever seen. I think Greg Norman is more likely to eat somebody than ol' S.J. is. Gnash's kickass origin story makes this a pretty easy win for the Preds.
Goal Horn
Nashville
San Jose
Jock Jams? Freaking Really? Could San Jose be any lamer? I didn't pick the Preds the last round, but they're the easy choice this time.
WAGs
Anaheim had more celebrity representation than the Sharks do, probably due to its proximity to LA.Hollywood. The most famous Shark wife/girlfriend is probably Czech gymnast Aneta Netolicka.
Pretty good. But...Carrie Underwood.
Gotta go Preds.
Playoff Performance So Far
As great as it was to see the Preds break through in Games Six & Seven and send the Ducks packing, I have to say that they were outplayed for most of the series. The Ducks had the physical advantage & looked like the better team most of the time, but the Preds had the resourcefulness and the poise that Anaheim lacked in key situations. They looked like the team with all the playoff experience & the Ducks looked like the team that hadn't been there before. Pekka Rinne looked like the Pekka of old. Colin Wilson is a whole different animal in the postseason. Shea Weber & Roman Josi did a great job shutting down Anaheim's top players & James Neal's play made the Ducks' defense frustrated and prone to penalties.
The Preds were impressive, no doubt. But the Sharks were even more so in their five-game destruction of the LA Kings. If there's a team that's hot at the right time, it's definitely San Jose as everything is clicking on all cylinders. Joe Thornton & his line were unstoppable, Brent Burns dominated on defense, and the Sharks closed out the Kings in short order when most thought the Kings would do what they usually do this time of year. As great as the Preds were, the edge has to go to the Sharks here.
The "Nobody Believes In Us" Factor
Both sides have this in spades. For the Sharks, it's the fact that they're usually a great regular season team that always comes up short in the playoffs. San Jose fans are haunted by their close calls to Cup glory. The thing is, even though people don't believe in the Sharks franchise history, few would argue that their current team doesn't have the stuff to make a deep run this season. Especially with the Ducks & Blackhawks out in the West and teams like St. Louis remaining that have similar historical obstacles to overcome.
The Preds obviously have the advantage here. Nobody outside of myself picked them to beat the Ducks, and it's not like I'm an unbiased observer here. They're one of those random Southern teams that people forget about most of the time. They don't have years of tradition and countless banners hanging above their ice. They aren't one of the teams usually featured on NBC telecasts, or even NBCSN telecasts. You could ask the average sports fan to name a Nashville Predator and they'd have a blank look on their face. Hockey outsiders don't know who they are, and hockey insiders sell them short because they haven't done anything yet.
James Neal & Shea Weber admit that the team feeds off of that. Nobody believes in the Nashville Predators. And that's just the way they like it.
Rest
The Preds got a day off. The Sharks got a week. The Sharks didn't have to leave the state of California, the Preds flew back and forth between Tennessee & So Cal & I assume they didn't bother going home on the day between series. Big edge for the Sharks.
Final Score: Preds 7, Sharks 3, Push 1
I worry about the Preds' freshness coming off of a physically demanding series and the Sharks will look to capitalize off that. Hopefully the Sharks will be rusty after the time off and the Preds will live off the adrenaline provided by the triumph of the first round. I wouldn't be shocked if the Preds were in their second Game 7 before the next time I write a Preds column. Hopefully they will spare me that & win in fewer games this time. As much as I loved Game 7, I don't think I want another one too soon.
Until next time I'm Steve Cook, reminding you that the numbers never lie!
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