Schedule and 2007 Results
Regular Season Records: Nashville 51-23-8=110pts, San Jose 51-26-5=107pts
Game 1 on Wednesday, 11 April: San Jose wins at Nashville, 5-goals-4 (2OT)
Game 2 on Friday, 13 April: San Jose loses at Nashville, 5-goals-2
Game 3 on Monday, 16 April: Nashville loses at San Jose, 3-goals-1
Game 4 on Wednesday, 18 April: Nashville loses at San Jose, 3-goals-2
Game 5 on Friday, 20 April: San Jose wins at Nashville, 3-goals-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 997 back in Nashville for Game 5, the San Jose Sharks visited and defeated the Nashville Predators 3-goals-2, thus achieving a 4-games-1 series 997 victory. The win of series 997 improves the San Jose Sharks' best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 8-9 overall and 7-3 in the Preliminary round. The loss of series 997 drops the Nashville Predators' best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in the Preliminary round. In series 997, the victorious San Jose Sharks followed a win order of WLWWW: Series 997 thus becomes the seventh best-of-7 NHL Preliminary round series (and the third in the 2007 NHL Preliminary round, and the second on Friday 20 April 2007), the 31st best-of-7 NHL series (all rounds), and the 66th best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order. San Jose thus eliminates Nashville from the NHL playoffs in the Preliminary round in consecutive years.

After Game 4: The San Jose Sharks hosted and defeated the Nashville Predators 3-goals-2 to take a 3-games-1 lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 997. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the San Jose Sharks have a series record of 5-0 and a Game 5 record of 3-2. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Nashville Predators have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 5 record of 0-1; said Game 5 loss occurred in series 964 to San Jose in the 2006 NHL Preliminary round. In best-of-7 NHL Preliminary-round playoff series from 1987 through 2006, teams that lose Game 1 and win Game 2 at home, and then lose Games 3-4 on the road (such as Nashville) have a 12-1 Game 5 record and a 7-6 series record.

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 997 having moved from Tennessee to the Bay Area for Games 3-4, the San Jose Sharks hosted and defeated the Nashville Predators 3-goals-1 to take a 2-games-1 series 997 lead. With the Sharks leading series 997 by a 2-games-1 margin and having played Games 1-2 in Nashville and Game 3 at home, series 997 is thus far in alignment with series 964, in which San Jose defeated Nashville 4-games-1 in the 2006 NHL Preliminary round. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the San Jose Sharks have a series record of 7-9 and a Game 4 record of 9-7. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Nashville Predators have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 4 record of 1-1.

After Game 2: The Nashville Predators hosted and defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-goals-2 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 997 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the San Jose Sharks have a series record of 4-3 and a Game 3 record of 5-2 (with a three-Game 3 winning streak), while the Nashville Predators have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 3 record of 0-1 -- both the series loss and the Game 3 loss were at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, in series 964 (in the 2006 Preliminary round, one year ago). In the history of best-of-7 format NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2006, when a team such as the Nashville Predators loses Game 1 in overtime but wins Game 2 by two or more goals, its series record is 14-12 (.539) and its Game 3 record is 15-11 (.577).

After Game 1: The San Jose Sharks visited and defeated the Nashville Predators 5-goals-4 in double-overtime to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 997. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the San Jose Sharks have a series record of 5-3 and a Game 2 record of 4-4. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Nashville Predators have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 2 record of 0-1. The San Jose Sharks thus become the first NHL team to win a Game 1 of a 2007 NHL Preliminary round in double-overtime; in 2006, the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings also won the opening games of their respective 2006 NHL Preliminary-round series in double-overtime.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2006-07 regular season, Nashville finished three points ahead of San Jose. From 1905 through the 2006 MLB Finals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by three regular-season points, they have posted an 11-12 (.478) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 997 is the 17th best-of-7 playoff series for San Jose, and the third for Nashville. In best-of-7 playoff series, San Jose has a 7-9 series record, a 6-3 Prelim-round series record (with an active three-series winning streak), and an 8-8 Game 1 record, while Nashville has a 0-2 series record, a 0-2 Prelim-round record, and a 1-1 Game 1 record. Series 997 is the second best-of-7 meeting between San Jose and Nashville: In best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 964, San Jose defeated Nashville in the 2006 NHL Preliminary round.