The Nashville Predators spent the past year improving themselves over a season ago. So did the San Jose Sharks.
So the result of the opening round of the playoffs was the same.
Patrick Marleau scored his second goal with 4:21 left, and the Sharks grabbed a berth in their third straight Western Conference semifinals, beating Nashville 3-2 Friday night.
Marleau, Sharks Defeat Predators, Move On To Semifinals