With the Western Conference\u2019s second wild card spot on the line, the San Jose Sharks will try to beat the Nashville Predators for the first time in 14 games.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, 14 games. San Jose hasn\u2019t beaten the Predators since Nov. 9, 2019<\/a>! That game ended 2-1 in a shootout with Tomas Hertl<\/a> scoring for the Sharks and Filip Forsberg<\/a> for the Predators.<\/p>\n The Sharks come into Saturday\u2019s game with a massive chip on their shoulder. Having won four straight games in regulation, the San Jose Sharks can push their advantage in the standings to its strongest point this season.<\/p>\n Yaroslav Askarov<\/a> will start in goal against his former team, and the rest of the lineup<\/a> will remain the same from Thursday\u2019s 4-1 over the Toronto Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n Askarov is the first goalie off the ice for the #SJSharks<\/a>. He\u2019ll start against his former team<\/p>\n \u2014 Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky isn\u2019t taking Saturday\u2019s game with any different plan than he\u2019s had all season.<\/p>\n \u201cJust stay with our routine and my routine and what we do as a staff. Be where my feet are,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been chugging along here, doing the same things we\u2019ve done since, really, training camp, and with the routine of our meetings, nothing\u2019s really changed.\u201d<\/p>\n But what about the long losing streak against the Preds?<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just the way we need to play with our identity. Doing it consistently with the level of desperation. Everyone knows it\u2019s an important game, but again, we can\u2019t change. We didn\u2019t have any different meetings. We didn\u2019t throw anything new at our guys,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cThey know how we need to prepare, and we\u2019ll have a good game plan of how we want to attack some things. Maybe do some things differently than we played them last time, but it\u2019s not like we\u2019re going back seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n Only one player remains on the San Jose Sharks team from that game in 2019, Barclay Goodrow<\/a>. Since then, Goodrow has been traded, won two Stanley Cups, and signed with another team before returning to the Sharks.<\/p>\n A new age Sharks roster can create a new identity against the Predators, with playoff implications on the line no less.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019d be nice just to get the win. Focus on our path to the playoffs,\u201d Sharks forward Michael Misa<\/a> told SHD. \u201cEveryone knows it\u2019s a huge game, and we\u2019re gonna be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n