It all comes down to this. The season's previous 279 periods and 93 games are all irrelevant to the three or more periods in tonight's Game 7, as the Sharks host the Predators for the final time this postseason.
If the Sharks win, they advance to the Conference Final since 2011 to face the Blues. If the Sharks lose, the Predators advance beyond the second round for the first time in franchise history, and the Sharks enter the offseason, knowing their window is closing as two franchise cornerstones enter the final year of their contracts.