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Sharks, Predators face off in West quarterfinals

Apr 11, 2007 - 1:22 PM San Jose (51-26-5) at Nashville (51-23-8) 8:00 pm EDT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Beginning the postseason on the road did not bother the San Jose Sharks at all last year. Entering the 2007 playoffs with the most regular-season wins away from home should give them even more confidence.

The fifth-seeded Sharks head to Nashville to face the fourth-seeded Predators in the first game of a best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal matchup.

The Sharks, who posted a 26-14-1 record on the road this campaign, had little trouble at Nashville Arena in last year's Western Conference quarterfinals. After dropping a one-goal decision in the series opener, San Jose posted victories in Games Two and Five to eliminate Nashville.

The Predators have added some playoff warriors, however, signing Jason Arnott as a free agent last summer before acquiring Peter Forsberg from the Philadelphia Flyers in mid-February. Arnott scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for New Jersey in 2000, while Forsberg won a pair of championships during his tenure with Colorado.

Nashville won three of the four regular-season meetings between the teams, including a 5-0 trouncing at home on February 14, the eve of the arrival of Forsberg. Whether it can carry that success into the series and erase last year's bad memories is anyone's guess.

The Predators enter the postseason having won their last two regular-season games following a three-game losing streak.