SAN JOSE -- If the last couple of seasons have shown us anything, it's that you never really know what you'll get when the Sharks face the Predators, whether it’s in the regular season or the playoffs.
"You'll remember Game 7 a couple of years ago," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer reminisced with the press Saturday morning as San Jose geared up to host Nashville. "You thought it would be a 2-1 game and it was a blowout. You never know what you're going to get with these two teams."
One thing is for certain, though. Saturday night's game promises to be another playoff-caliber rumble between two Western Conference teams prepping for the postseason.
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"I know both teams are in playoff-type mindsets," DeBoer said. "Usually those are tight-checking games."
The Sharks and Preds already have played each other twice this season, with Team Teal winning both games in wild fashion. Those games occurred earlier in the season, however, and some things have changed. For starters, there now are playoff implications at stake.
Nashville is in just as tight of a race for first place in their division as San Jose is in its own. The Predators currently sit in second place in the Central, just one point behind the Winnipeg Jets with two games in hand -- not unlike the Sharks, who again sit one point behind the Calgary Flames in the Pacific.
"They're desperate, they're fighting for their division," Sharks winger Logan Couture said. "These are big points for them as well as us."
San Jose Sharks
There also have been changes to both lineups since the squads last met. Nashville added forwards Wayne Simmonds, Mikael Granlund and Brian Boyle to its offensive arsenal at the trade deadline, just as San Jose traded for winger Gustav Nyquist. As the Sharks added to their already deep roster, the Predators did exactly the same.
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"They're deep," DeBoer said. "They were already a Stanley Cup contender prior to that, and I don't think that did anything but strengthen them."
Whichever way the pendulum swings, Saturday night's contest promises to be some must-watch hockey.