The San Jose Sharks welcome the Nashville Predators to SAP Center.<\/p>\n
Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini and Alex Wennberg scored, but the Sharks lost 6-3<\/p>\n
Period 1<\/p>\n
Top line struggles to start, Celebrini throws a pizza up the middle.<\/p>\n
4 in: O\u2019Reilly and Preds crashing net, but Sharks\u2019 backheck urgent, stays with them. That\u2019s good to see, that\u2019s desperation you need.<\/p>\n
6 in: Cameron Hughes, the t-shirt guy, is here, pretty sure I haven\u2019t seen him in like six years in SAP Center. Surest sign that hockey is back in San Jose lol.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Forsberg goal: Bad team defense there. Sherwood and Eklund forecheck couldn\u2019t influence Nashville breakout. Then maybe a rare mistake by Wennberg? In NZ, he makes aggressive play for puck, misses, and it\u2019s a Preds\u2019 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\u2019s a hero if it works, but it doesn\u2019t. 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s just flubbed. Then Celebrini down the slot, to Smith, Grade-A, Smith forces a Preds\u2019 penalty.<\/p>\n
8 left: Great kill by O\u2019Reilly, they are so aggressive on the PK. He just surprises Smith on wall. Then O\u2019Reilly has wherewithal, after winning puck and being harassed, to turn himself toward open lane, doesn\u2019t rush his clear, diagonal clear and out. Veteran poise.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t put that, big picture, on Macklin, his teammates need to raise their pace in the coming years. But there\u2019s also something to be said for Celebrini to just be selfish and smoke a shot himself.<\/p>\n
7 left: Two good keep-in\u2019s from Dickinson on PP. Then a direct shot, no fuss, no muss. Like the simplicity.<\/p>\n
Skjei penalty: Gaudette does good job on forecheck, gets in there, draws a call.<\/p>\n
Orlov penalty: Boy, they rarely call that. Will say, if L\u2019Heureux sold it, Orlov didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
Stamkos goal: And they don\u2019t. 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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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\u2019t make the playoffs, maybe a veteran Preds group just knowing that they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
Well, for the Sharks, at least it’s not 5-1 after the first period.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Period 2<\/p>\n Asky swapped helmets between periods pic.twitter.com\/oPF7sIoAqw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 JD Young (@MyFryHole) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 7 in: Askarov back to regular mask.<\/p>\n 8 in: Huge Askarov saves on Wilsby. Breakdown, Wilsby had slot to himself, and even got a follow-up. Askarov glove.<\/p>\n 10 in: Celebrini just misses Chernyshov in front and sets up Dickinson for a good chance, he\u2019s on it, after that early turnover.<\/p>\n If I had realized, I would\u2019ve booed:<\/p>\n Krazy George, inventor of the wave, gets it going at the #SAPCenter<\/a> ! pic.twitter.com\/WPUwEmAyyM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Annie Moore (@SanJosAnnie) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n I never do the wave lol, even when I attend games as a fan.<\/p>\n 8 left: Askarov reaches down to make a save, then gives a push to L\u2019Heureux, who\u2019s mucking around. They\u2019re old Admirals teammates, were friendly last year when the Sharks visited Nashville.<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n Graf with Celebrini-Smith, Chernyshov with Misa-Toffoli, last two shifts<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Smith penalty: Not a great call, but second time that the Sharks have ended their own power plays with penalties tonight. Can\u2019t do that, power plays have been main difference tonight.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t think that was luck. Leddy wide open and he picks it.<\/p>\n 4 left: Great Askarov clear on PK. He looks calmer in this period than in the first.<\/p>\n 3 left: Smith can\u2019t settle down another good Celebrini set-up. Rough game tonight for him.<\/p>\n 2 left: Great 200 feet of hockey by Wennberg, backcheck, wins the puck, counterattack, and was that Chernyshov just offsides? You can\u2019t have that there.<\/p>\n Celebrini centering Eklund and Sherwood with about a minute to go. It was Wennberg with Chernyshov and Toffoli just before<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s intention, a place that he\u2019s putting it. There, he lays it into Graf\u2019s 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\u2019s just playing a mortal game.<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n Period 3<\/p>\n Lots of cheers and squeals when #SJSharks<\/a> start third period with a little bit of Ilya Rozanov’s locker room speech on the scoreboard<\/p>\n