SAN JOSE, Calif. -- With a succession of blown leads and missed opportunities throughout the series, the San Jose Sharks didn't make it easy on themselves. But they rose to the occasion when it mattered most, trouncing the Nashville Predators in Game 7.

How it happened: The Sharks were circling early, outshooting the Predators 17-3 and outscoring them 2-0 in the opening period. By the time Logan Couture pounced on a Shea Weber turnover and beat Pekka Rinne between the legs 36 seconds into the second period to make the score 3-0, the Sharks could breathe more easily.

Joe Pavelski opened the scoring and the Sharks barely looked back. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau scored in the third to close out a masterful Sharks performance. It was a tough night for Nashville's standout defense pair of Weber and Roman Josi, who were a combined minus-6.

In the nets, Pekka Rinne was yanked after the Sharks' fifth goal, making 21 saves on 26 shots. At the other end, Martin Jones was barely tested, stopping all 20 shots -- including only three in the first period -- he faced.

What it means: With the win, the Sharks advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since losing back-to-back conference finals in 2010 and 2011. They also come one step closer to shedding their reputation as playoff underachievers.

They open the conference finals on the road against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday in a battle of two teams that have struggled to parlay regular-season success into postseason clout.

Pavelski and Couture emerge: Whether fair or not, the blame for all that playoff disappointment has been heaped on Thornton and Marleau. When Thornton was stripped of his captaincy and Marleau of his assistant's "A," they conceded some of their responsibilities to new captain Pavelski and assistant Couture.

More than ever, the Sharks appear to be Pavelski's and Couture’s team.

Couture leads the Sharks in playoff scoring and combined with Pavelski to score 10 goals in the series. The pair saved their best for Game 7, with Pavelski opening the scoring and Couture putting the series out of reach with his goal and two third-period helpers. Couture set a franchise record with 11 points in the series.