The San Jose Sharks welcome the Nashville Predators to SAP Center.

Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini and Alex Wennberg scored, but the Sharks lost 6-3

Period 1

Top line struggles to start, Celebrini throws a pizza up the middle.

4 in: O’Reilly and Preds crashing net, but Sharks’ backheck urgent, stays with them. That’s good to see, that’s desperation you need.

6 in: Cameron Hughes, the t-shirt guy, is here, pretty sure I haven’t seen him in like six years in SAP Center. Surest sign that hockey is back in San Jose lol.

Forsberg goal: Goodrow lost his stick, Preds smart on PP, got it to Forsberg top of key where Goodrow was, the veteran goal-scorer rifled a one-timer past Askarov.

Forsberg goal: Bad team defense there. Sherwood and Eklund forecheck couldn’t influence Nashville breakout. Then maybe a rare mistake by Wennberg? In NZ, he makes aggressive play for puck, misses, and it’s a Preds’ 4-on-2 the other way. Yup, he tries to stop up Jost, but had no support because his wingers were up the ice on the forecheck. Jost connects with Barron. Not the time for Wennberg to gamble, he’s a hero if it works, but it doesn’t. Askarov actually makes the first one-timer save. But Forsberg in front all alone, puts in rebound. Could Mukhamadullin also been more urgent locking up Forsberg? San Jose Sharks need to collect themselves.

9 left: Celebrini with excellent plays on back-to-back shifts. First, a slow stretch pass from Chernyshov, he collects it so quickly in an open position to an attacking position, gives Smith a one-timer opportunity that’s just flubbed. Then Celebrini down the slot, to Smith, Grade-A, Smith forces a Preds’ penalty.

8 left: Great kill by O’Reilly, they are so aggressive on the PK. He just surprises Smith on wall. Then O’Reilly has wherewithal, after winning puck and being harassed, to turn himself toward open lane, doesn’t rush his clear, diagonal clear and out. Veteran poise.

Celebrini and Smith counterattack, 2-on-1, but Celebrini pass too hot for Smith? When it works, it works, but sometimes, Celebrini still plays too fast for Smith (and all his teammates). I don’t put that, big picture, on Macklin, his teammates need to raise their pace in the coming years. But there’s also something to be said for Celebrini to just be selfish and smoke a shot himself.

7 left: Two good keep-in’s from Dickinson on PP. Then a direct shot, no fuss, no muss. Like the simplicity.

Skjei penalty: Gaudette does good job on forecheck, gets in there, draws a call.

Orlov penalty: Boy, they rarely call that. Will say, if L’Heureux sold it, Orlov didn’t go to the box complaining much. Very disappointing two power plays by Sharks here. Huge kill, you really got to get out of first period down just two or cut the lead.

Stamkos goal: And they don’t. Just the classic Stamkos one-timer, but also, Askarov has to make a save too. It was straight-up and set-up was slow enough, Askarov had time to get set up. Eklund also flubbed a clear seconds before.

It’s hockey cliche, but the Sharks need to play faster, up their urgency. Unfortunately, gains from after last Nashville disaster crashing out here. These Preds games may be the reason why the Sharks don’t make the playoffs, maybe a veteran Preds group just knowing that they’re going to approach a game like this with more calm. Nashville has a lot of youth, but not in key roles like San Jose does.

Well, for the Sharks, at least it’s not 5-1 after the first period.

— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) April 5, 2026

Period 2

Asky swapped helmets between periods pic.twitter.com/oPF7sIoAqw

— JD Young (@MyFryHole) April 5, 2026

1 in: Leddy leads the rush, finds Celebrini in high slot. Then Celebrini whips a brilliant pass to Smith later in shift, huge Saros save.

4 in: Great cycle from Wennberg line, their best shift of the game. San Jose Sharks starting to string some shifts together, but obviously, next goal matters so much.

7 in: Askarov back to regular mask.

8 in: Huge Askarov saves on Wilsby. Breakdown, Wilsby had slot to himself, and even got a follow-up. Askarov glove.

10 in: Celebrini just misses Chernyshov in front and sets up Dickinson for a good chance, he’s on it, after that early turnover.

If I had realized, I would’ve booed:

Krazy George, inventor of the wave, gets it going at the #SAPCenter ! pic.twitter.com/WPUwEmAyyM

— Annie Moore (@SanJosAnnie) April 5, 2026

I never do the wave lol, even when I attend games as a fan.

8 left: Askarov reaches down to make a save, then gives a push to L’Heureux, who’s mucking around. They’re old Admirals teammates, were friendly last year when the Sharks visited Nashville.

7 left: That looked like a Saginaw set-up, Misa set up Chernyshov for a scorcher. Huge Saros save. Did Chernyshov and Graf get switched?

Graf with Celebrini-Smith, Chernyshov with Misa-Toffoli, last two shifts

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 5, 2026

Smith penalty: Not a great call, but second time that the Sharks have ended their own power plays with penalties tonight. Can’t do that, power plays have been main difference tonight.

Leddy goal: Sharks were coming, give them credit, overall good period, lots of chances. Orlov just hit a post. That is a marvelous Eklund pass. I don’t think that was luck. Leddy wide open and he picks it.

4 left: Great Askarov clear on PK. He looks calmer in this period than in the first.

3 left: Smith can’t settle down another good Celebrini set-up. Rough game tonight for him.

2 left: Great 200 feet of hockey by Wennberg, backcheck, wins the puck, counterattack, and was that Chernyshov just offsides? You can’t have that there.

Celebrini centering Eklund and Sherwood with about a minute to go. It was Wennberg with Chernyshov and Toffoli just before

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 5, 2026

Eklund and Stamkos get into it, I love the random kerfuffles that Eklund gets into with opponents, like Horvat earlier this year. Can never guess with him lol.

Celebrini goal: Celebrini-Graf-Dickinson-Leddy 4-on-4, Celebrini pushes back the defense, finds Graf for an opening, great pass, but not quite enough space to shoot for Graf, at least not a quality shot. Celebrini, even when he turns it over, there’s intention, a place that he’s putting it. There, he lays it into Graf’s wheelhouse so his winger has easy control. Other Sharks in high-pressure slot areas, just saw it from Dickinson, kind of out-of-control, not putting puck in advantageous spots for teammates like Celebrini consistently does. Not criticizing Sam, he’s just playing a mortal game.

Anyway, Graf circles, and just brilliant pass to Celebrini, through two Preds. Forsberg fell asleep. Huge goal. Huge. This second period by the Sharks is a statement, they played well. Score could definitely be tied, Saros was great. Question is, can San Jose put out one more period like this?

Period 3

Lots of cheers and squeals when #SJSharks start third period with a little bit of Ilya Rozanov’s locker room speech on the scoreboard

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 5, 2026

Wennberg goal: Just cruises through the Preds defense. Not sure how Marchessault ended up as the defenseman, but that’s why Wennberg able to walk last man like that. But great finish, and that’s why Wennberg, offensively, has frustrated teams that he’s been on TBH. He’s really, really skilled, and that’s forgotten because he’s taken on a more defensive role and he also, by nature, isn’t very aggressive offensively. Wilsby is the defenseman who jumped up on the 4-on-4, and his backcheck was of a less than desirable quality. I think if you’re the defense up and your forward is playing your position, you got to hustle your ass off to come back, you can’t assume your forward is going to be any good on defense.

5 in: Good hard backhand clear by Chernyshov after he blocked a shot, in pain, and paused. No pause in playoff mode!

O’Reilly goal: That can’t happen there, someone’s got to pick up O’Reilly in the slot. My first look, Mukhamadullin drifts too close to Askarov, I don’t think there was a Pred down low to defend against. Should’ve been more nimble, higher in slot, to contest O’Reilly.

8 left: Smith forecheck on Skjei, good job to take advantage of off-balance defenseman, sets up Graf chance.

7 left: Orlov lob pass off DZ draw gets picked off, leads to chaos and a big Askarov save. Got to be better there from him.

5 left: Trying a Graf-Wennberg-Celebrini “super” line. After that, Misa high in OZ, has puck, but too telegraphed a pass to slot. That might work in OHL, not here. He’ll learn from that.

3 left: Smith high on PP, not an easy position, surrounded, but he’s got to make a better play than that. Just get it deep at least when you’re vulnerable and PK swarming you. Nashville has ate him up on PK tonight.

Haula goal: Bad hockey, bad hockey. If Sharks miss post-season, that’s a power play that will haunt them over the summer. Not sure why Orlov ceded so much space to Haula there. Before, I think it was Jost that had a big chance off Smith PP turnover earlier. You want a save on that shot, sure, but the power play can’t expose their goalie like that.