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Preds gift-wrap game for San Jose, ruin Goc’s homecoming…

While the Nashville Predators got to see their old teammates Jed Ortmeyer and Scott Nichol on Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks welcomed Marcel Goc back to the HP Pavilion.

Well, okay… maybe “welcomed” isn’t exactly the word they’d choose.

The former Shark netted his first of the season against his former club at a time when it was greatly needed. San Jose had scored the go-ahead goal early in the second period and Nashville appeared to be in trouble. The offense was sloppy, their pass-it-through-the-box set-up failed three – count ’em THREE – times on the same man advantage and the Sharks offense was just flat out buzzing. But, with a single shot, Goc evened the game back out.

The Predators fell to the Sharks on Tuesday night, 4-3, falling to 1-2-0 on the current road trip. But this wasn’t the typical-Predators loss we’re used to seeing as of late. There was plenty of action, back and fourth play and it was an all around good game.

One team would score, the other would answer. Then one would score, and the other would answer. That was the story all night long for these two teams. Basically only stopping when time wouldn’t allow for the cycle to continue.

Unfortunately for Nashville, the clock struck midnight with a minute remaining when San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle scored what ended up being the game-winning goal. Nashville goaltender Dan Ellis, who had allowed a soft goal just five minutes before, hugged the post and went down to stop the routine shot but, somehow, the puck trickled its way over the goal line to put the Sharks ahead once and for all.

A true heart breaker as Nashville really hung with one of the league’s best teams for 59 minutes. A bad outing by Ellis was the difference maker as the final two Sharks goals were of the “weak” variety. On the third San Jose tally, Ellis could be seen anticipating the pass and the shot went over his stick-side shoulder. And the fourth and final goal? Well… we talked about that.

In a game where they should’ve at least gotten one point, they got nothing  and now have to focus on the St. Louis Blues as they head back to the Central Time Zone on Thursday night. Puck drops at 7:05pm and can be seen in HD on FS-Tennessee. 

  

GAME NOTES:
* Rookie Mike Santorelli scored his second goal of the season on Tuesday night, banging home… or maybe deflecting home… or… um… something home — Martin Erat‘s shot off the boards.
* All-Star defenseman Shea Weber returned to action in San Jose. He had missed two games (the first two on the west coast road trip) with a foot injury.
* San Jose Sharks goaltender Thomas Greiss started against the Predators, only his second start this season.
* After failing to register a single shot on goal on their first power play, the Preds fired three shots (all good chances) on their second man advantage.
* Andreas Thuresson appeared to dish out a pretty dirty knee-on-knee hit on Ortmeyer with just over nine minutes left in the game. Play continued and no penalty was issued.
* It took Nashville over 53 minutes to take their first penalty. Unfortunately it came immediately after the Sharks tied the game at three in the third period, officially giving San Jose the momentum coming down the stretch.
* In the state of California, the Preds are 1-2-0 this season.
* These same teams will face-off again next Tuesday night, this time in Nashville.