Late Stamkos Goal Not Enough as Predators Fall in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators nearly stole a point late Thursday, then watched it slip away in a shootout as the San Jose Sharks left Bridgestone Arena with a 3-2 win.

Steven Stamkos jammed home the equalizer with less than a second on the clock after Juuse Saros had been pulled for an extra attacker. Macklin Celebrini answered in the shootout, beating Saros on the glove side for the only successful attempt.

San Jose struck first when Mason Marchment converted a feed from Tyler Toffoli in the opening period. Will Smith doubled the lead early in the third with a snap shot from the right circle.

Ryan O’Reilly got Nashville on the board with a power-play tip-in at 9:05 of the third, spoiling what had been a shutout bid. Overtime solved nothing; Saros denied breakaways and Alex Nedeljkovic turned aside a late Roman Josi one-timer before the teams went to skills.

Coach Andrew Brunette called his club resilient and said the Predators finally pushed the pace in the last 10 to 12 minutes of regulation. Saros finished with 30 saves and entered the night 15-2-2 lifetime against San Jose.

The loss dropped Nashville to 2-2-3 after four defeats in its last five games (1-1-3). San Jose improved to 4-3-0, with every victory this season coming after regulation.

Home ice at Bridgestone had the Predators pushing late, and the building nearly erupted when Stamkos tied it. The club turns around quickly and hosts St. Louis on Saturday night, seeking a cleaner finish than Thursday’s shootout defeat.