San Jose survives Nashville’s late third-period comeback before clinching a 3-2 victory in the shootout on Thursday night.
The San Jose Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Macklin Celebrini scored the deciding goal in the shootout after the Predators erased a two-goal deficit late in the third period to force overtime.
Game Overview
San Jose built a 2-0 lead early in the final period, but Nashville responded with goals from Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos to even the score. Neither team scored in overtime, leaving the shootout to determine the winner. The result improved the Sharks' record to 4-3-0 overall and 2-1-0 on the road. Nashville fell to 2-2-3 overall and 1-2-1 at home. Although the Predators recovered from a two-goal deficit to secure a point, San Jose ultimately claimed the additional standings point with its shootout victory.
Mason Marchment Gives San Jose the Early Lead
The Sharks opened the scoring at 5:30 of the first period when Mason Marchment found the net for his second goal of the season. Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg received assists on the play, giving San Jose a 1-0 advantage. The opening goal put the Sharks in front early, but Nashville remained within striking distance. The Predators were unable to equalize before the end of the first period, and San Jose carried its one-goal lead into the intermission. Both teams went scoreless in the second period. The Sharks maintained their advantage through the middle frame, while Nashville continued to search for a way onto the scoreboard.
Will Smith Extends the Sharks' Advantage
San Jose doubled its lead at 4:28 of the third period. Will Smith scored his third goal of the season, with Michael Kesselring and Igor Chernyshov recording the assists. The goal gave the Sharks a 2-0 advantage and put Nashville in a difficult position with less than 16 minutes remaining in regulation. However, the Predators did not allow the deficit to determine the outcome. They continued pursuing scoring opportunities and eventually found a breakthrough on the power play.
Predators Rally With Two Third-Period Goals
Nashville cut the deficit to 2-1 at 9:05 of the third period when Ryan O'Reilly scored on the power play. Jonathan Marchessault and Roman Josi assisted on O'Reilly's third goal of the season. The goal gave the Predators an opportunity to push for an equalizer during the closing minutes. Nashville continued searching for another scoring chance, and its persistence produced a dramatic finish to regulation. At 19:59, Steven Stamkos scored his fourth goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2. Filip Forsberg earned the assist on the late equalizer. Stamkos' goal came with just one second remaining in the third period, allowing Nashville to force overtime after trailing by two goals earlier in the frame.
Macklin Celebrini Decides the Shootout
The shootout ultimately separated the two teams after 65 minutes of scoreless play following the end of regulation. Nashville's Ryan O'Reilly opened the shootout with a backhand attempt that hit the crossbar. San Jose's Ivar Stenberg followed, but his wrist shot was stopped by Predators goaltender Juuse Saros. Forsberg then attempted a backhand shot for Nashville, only to be denied by Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Celebrini provided the breakthrough for San Jose, scoring with a wrist shot to give the Sharks the advantage in the shootout. His successful attempt proved decisive. Nashville still had an opportunity to respond, but Nedeljkovic stopped Ross Colton's wrist shot. With the Predators unable to score during the shootout, San Jose secured the 3-2 victory.
Goaltending and Team Statistics
Nashville finished with a 34-32 advantage in shots on goal. The Predators also recorded more hits, finishing with 20 compared with San Jose's 13. Saros made 30 saves and posted a.938 save percentage, according to the supplied game statistics. His performance helped keep Nashville within reach before the team's third-period comeback forced overtime. Nedeljkovic made the crucial shootout saves against Forsberg and Colton, helping San Jose preserve its advantage after Celebrini scored. The Sharks recorded 13 penalty minutes, while the Predators had 11. Nashville also led in faceoff percentage, winning 53.0% of draws compared with San Jose's 47.0%. Despite Nashville's advantages in shots, hits and faceoffs, the game was decided by the teams' scoring in regulation and the shootout. San Jose scored twice before Nashville's late comeback, then converted the decisive opportunity when the game reached the shootout.
San Jose's victory featured an early lead, a scoreless second period, a two-goal advantage in the third and a late Nashville response that forced overtime. Although the Sharks were unable to finish the game in regulation, they recovered in the shootout to leave Nashville with the win. For the Predators, O'Reilly's power-play goal and Stamkos' last-second equalizer demonstrated their ability to recover from a difficult position. However, Nashville could not complete the comeback in the shootout. Celebrini supplied the winning goal, while Nedeljkovic made the final saves needed to close out the contest. The result gave San Jose a road victory and left Nashville with one standings point from the overtime loss.
