SAN JOSE – A San Jose Sharks team that had been shut out nine times this season – including twice in four games this month — faced the unenviable task Saturday of trying to put a puck past Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros.
As has been the case for years now, it wasn’t easy.
Sharks winger Mikael Granlund and Filip Zadina both scored in the third period, with Zadina’s goal at the 9:34 mark cutting the Predators’ lead to one.
But San Jose could get no closer as Saros finished with 23 saves to lead the Predators to a 4-2 win at SAP Center.
The Sharks were hoping they tied the game with 10:02 left in the third period after it appeared the puck might have been on its way into Nashville’s net before it was dislodged. After an official review, though, it was determined the puck never completely crossed the goal line.
“I think in the second period, we weren’t as good,” Granlund said. “But in the first and the third we were playing hard. There are some breakdowns we need to clean up, but it was a pretty good effort. Both goalies were really good tonight.”
Just 2:30 after Granlund scored his seventh of the season at the 1:10 mark of the third period to cut Nashville’s lead to 2-1, Kiefer Sherwood scored his second of the game. Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun was defending on the play.
“I made a bad read on it,” Thrun said. “I was trying to play aggressive down a goal and was kind of half in half out, and at the end of the day that does you no good. Just had one misstep, and in the NHL that’s a telltale sign that it’s going to get by you.”
The Predators hung on from there, as they ran their win streak over the Sharks to nine games. San Jose’s last win over Nashville came on Nov. 9, 2019, and are now 0-8-1 against the Predators.
Saros now has a career record of 11-2-1 against the Sharks. Before Saturday, the Finnish-born goalie had a .940 save percentage and a 1.76 goals-against average in 13 games.
His counterpart and countryman, Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, made 31 saves, including 21 in the first two periods.
