SAN JOSE
– Nashville gave the San Jose Sharks their first three-game
losing streak of the season Saturday by breaking a 1-1 tie in the
third period and holding on for a 2-1 decision at sold-out HP
Pavilion.
SAN JOSE – Nashville gave the San Jose Sharks their first three-game losing streak of the season Saturday by breaking a 1-1 tie in the third period and holding on for a 2-1 decision at sold-out HP Pavilion.
San Jose will play in Anaheim Sunday at 5pm against the Ducks before returning to HP Pavilion for a three-game home stand beginning Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Two nights after suffering a sixth shut-out, the Sharks matched a season high with 43 shots on net against Nashville. Logan Couture was the lone goal-scorer on the night for the hosts, netting his 19th of the season.
San Jose fashioned a 14-8 edge in shots in the third period, only to see the Predators snap a 1-1 tie on Sergei Kostitsyn’s 11th goal of the year at the 6:23 mark.
Linemate Patric Hornqvist keyed the game-winner with a hard shot from the right point that San Jose goalie Antti Niemi kicked back toward the left boards. Kostitsyn beat San Jose’s Jason Demers to the puck at the bottom of the right circle and chopped it behind Niemi and into the net.
Nashville pounced on a turnover by Dan Boyle inside the Sharks blueline in the first period to grab the 1-0 lead with 13:10 gone. David Legwand collected the puck, moved toward the net and wristed a shot on goal that Niemi blocked. Legwand cut behind a Shark defender and pushed the puck past Niemi for his third goal of the year.
San Jose’s goal came in the second period. Couture and Jamal Mayers rushed into the net on a 2-on-1 break. Couture patiently waited for defenseman Cody Franson to commit before wristing a shot into the top right corner of the net from 20 feet out.
Couture finished with eight shots on net, Devin Setoguchi six. Franson and Hornqvist each managed four shots for the visitors.
