Sharks storm back, but their futility against Nashville Predators continues

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Apr 5, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks finally found something that worked against the Nashville Predators.

Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP Center to life.

That’s where the Sharks’ momentum ended. Ryan O’Reilly was left open to the right of the Sharks’ net, took a pass from Luke Evangelista, and beat goalie Yaroslav Askarov for the go-ahead goal with 11:32 left in regulation time to help lead the way to an important 6-3 Predators win.

Forward Erik Haula added an insurance goal with 2:34 left in the third period, and Tyson Jost scored an empty-netter with 1:15 to go as the Predators earned their 15th straight win over the Sharks.

The loss drops the Sharks, who have 79 points, two points behind the Predators and the Los Angeles Kings for the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Askarov finished with 29 saves as the Sharks had their four-game win streak snapped and fell to 3-1-0 on their six-game homestand that ends with games against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

The Sharks have six games left in total, one more than the Predators and Kings.

Down 3-0, the Sharks got on the board at the 15:49 mark of the second period.

Wennberg won a puck battle deep in the Predators’ zone before William Eklund gained possession. Eklund then fed an open Leddy, who came down the slot and beat Predators goalie Juuse Saros for his first goal of the season.

Celebrini then scored his 41st of the season in a similar fashion with 19 seconds to go before intermission, and Wennberg tied the game 66 seconds into the third as he streaked in from the left wing, came in alone, and beat Saros for his 18th goal of the season.

Dating back to Nov. 2019, the Sharks before Saturday had lost 14 straight games to the Predators, including an ugly 6-2 loss to Nashville on March 24.

It looked like the Sharks were well on their way to a 15th straight loss after the first 20 minutes on Saturday.

At even strength in the first period, the Sharks had all kinds of trouble with the Predators’ pressure in the defensive and neutral zones. The Sharks’ penalty kill in the early going wasn’t much better, as both of the penalties they took in the opening 20 minutes resulted in Predators goals.

Filip Forsberg scored on the power play goal at the 8:38 mark, then added an even-strength goal just 1:16 later after the Sharks allowed the Predators to enter the offensive zone on a 4-on-2.

After Dmitry Orlov was called for tripping at the 15:07 mark, nullifying a Sharks power play, Steven Stamkos took a pass from Forsberg and beat Askarov to the short side with a shot from near the faceoff dot to make it 3-0 with 3:05 left in the first.

Askarov stopped nine of 12 shots in the first period but stopped all nine he face