NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday night, Nick Blankenburg netted a crucial goal at 8:09 of the third period, propelling the Nashville Predators to a thrilling 7-5 comeback win over the San Jose Sharks.
Jonathan Marchessault was instrumental for the Predators, contributing a goal and three assists, while Tommy Novak added a goal and two assists. Other notable contributors included Fedor Svechkov, Justin Barron, Roman Josi, and Filip Forsberg, all of whom scored as well. The dynamic play led to Nashville’s fourth consecutive victory, and their goalies, Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen, combined for a total of 19 saves.
On the Sharks’ side, Mikael Granlund tallied two goals, with Macklin Celebrini recording one goal and an assist. Jake Walman and Luke Kunin also found the net, but San Jose has now slipped to a four-game losing streak. Alexandar Georgiev performed admirably, making 34 saves throughout the game.
It was a roaring start for San Jose, who struck first, scoring four goals off just eight shots against Saros in the first period to take a commanding 4-1 lead. After Saros exited in favor of Annunen at the beginning of the second frame, the backup netminder managed to save 15 shots in relief.
Nashville began their rally when Svechkov and Barron scored within 53 seconds of each other, bringing the score to 4-2. Marchessault then cut the deficit to one with a goal just 28 seconds into the third period, followed by Josi’s power-play goal at 5:23, leveling the score at 4-4.
Blankenburg ultimately sealed the comeback by beating Georgiev from the right faceoff dot, and Forsberg added an insurance goal into an empty net.
In notable takeaways from the game, the Sharks extended their streak to 11 straight losses against the Predators. Meanwhile, Nashville managed to rally against one of the few teams positioned lower than them in the standings, marking the first time this season that they have achieved four consecutive victories.
A pivotal moment of the game occurred at 6:15 in the third period when Nashville’s Luke Schenn was penalized for a puck over the glass. Nashville challenged the call, and upon video review, it was determined that the puck hit the glass before going out, resulting in the penalty being nullified and preserving Nashville’s momentum.
A key statistic from the matchup revealed that the Sharks had not managed to score more than two goals against the Predators in any of their previous 13 encounters since November 13, 2018.
Looking ahead, the Sharks and Predators will clash again, this time in San Jose, on Thursday night.
