Joe Pavelski and Joel Ward scored first-period goals, Martin Jones had a 20-save shutout, and the San Jose Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators 5-0 in Game 7 to win the Western Conference Second Round series at SAP Center on Thursday. The Sharks advanced to the Western Conference Final for the fourth time, the first since 2011, and will play the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 on Sunday.
San Jose went 4-0 at home against Nashville in the best-of-7 series and is 8-0 against the Predators in the Stanley Cup Playoffs here. The shutout was Jones' first in an NHL playoff game. Logan Couture scored early in the second period and had two assists, giving him 11 points (six goals) in the series, a Sharks record. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau scored in the third period.
Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne allowed five goals on 26 shots and was replaced by Carter Hutton with 16:06 to play after Marleau made it 5-0. The Sharks were outshot 32-18 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Predators in Game 6 on Monday at Bridgestone Arena, losing for the third straight time there. But San Jose outshot Nashville 17-3 in the first period Thursday and built a 2-0 lead on goals by Pavelski and Ward.
Pavelski scored at 8:22 on the power play with Viktor Arvidsson in the penalty box for delay of game. Thornton sent the puck below the goal line to Marleau, who found Pavelski in the low right circle. Pavelski, who had been knocked down by Rinne seconds earlier, scored on a wrist shot into the upper left corner.
The goal was Pavelski's ninth of the playoffs. San Jose is 8-0 in the playoffs when he gets at least one point.
Ward made it 2-0 at 16:51 with a goal against his former team. Ward tracked down the puck in the neutral zone, chipped it past Predators defenseman Roman Josi at the blue line, and then beat Rinne on a breakaway from close range through the five-hole. The goal was Ward's third in a Game 7.
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