3 reasons why the Predators' run in California will end in San Jose

The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will tangle in the playoffs for the first time in nine years when the puck drops Friday.

Both the Sharks and Predators enter the second round after knocking off higher seeds in their first-round matchups. The Sharks now sit atop the throne in California, while the Predators proved though they might get down, but they're never out.

The Predators bested the Sharks in the regular season, taking the season series 2-0-1 while outscoring San Jose 10-6.

However, previous playoff history strongly tips the scales back in the Sharks' favour. The two have squared off twice in playoffs past and both times (2006, 2007) the Sharks have walked out with a 4-1 series win.

Heading in to the third installment, the Sharks should prevail once again and here is why:

Brent Burns

Though the Sharks have just five games under their belt, they still hold the most productive defenseman this postseason.

The bearded-wonder Brent Burns paces the league with eight points to date, good enough for an impressive 1.6 points per game.

He has been the quarterback of a power-play unit that sits fifth among the remaining teams and he ranks second among defenders with three power-play points.

Burns has nearly matched the Predators' entire defensive core in points per game largely due to his six assists.

The Sharks forwards have also been more potent thanks in large part to Burns' six helpers. Burns has been in on 50 percent of his team's goals in the playoffs making it pretty obvious, the Predators must stop him.

Sharks besting Predators statistically

While the Predators may have taken the regular-season series from the Sharks, the fact is throughout the playoffs the Sharks have been out performing the Predators in most statistical categories.

While the Sharks have had to play just five games to date, the team made quick work of the Los Angeles Kings and did so in commanding fashion as the numbers suggest.

While the Predators do edge the Sharks in three categories, the Sharks have outscored and outdefended the Predators. Special teams could be very telling of the series. The Predators have been the more penalized team of the two clubs while the Sharks boast a far superior power play.

Simply put, the Predators will need to be better all around to compete.

X-factor: Joe Pavelski

The Sharks have sat idly by for a week waiting for their second-round opponent, and in so have been keeping arguably the postseason's hottest goal-scorer waiting.

Joe Pavelski went off in the first round, netting five goals and an assist in five games. His goal-scoring prowess is only matched by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov.

In his first year as captain, he had 11 more goals than the next highest-scoring Shark, and during the postseason leads the team in power-play goals and in shooting percentage with a wicked 35.7 percent success rate.

Not to mention he has netted nearly a third of his club's goals so far.

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