Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 saves and kept the Nashville Predators from scoring in the overtime and shootout, helping the visiting San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory on Thursday evening.
Mason Marchment and Will Smith scored in regulation, and Macklin Celebrini scored the lone goal in the shootout for the Sharks, who had lost two in a row and three of four (1-3-0).
Steven Stamkos scored with under a second left in regulation to tie the score for Nashville and send the game to overtime.
Ryan O’Reilly also scored and Juuse Saros made 30 saves for the Predators, who lost their third straight game and were held to two goals or fewer for the fifth time in seven games this season.
Stamkos scored on a scramble in front of the net with Saros pulled for an extra skater to tie it 2-2 with 0.8 left on the clock.
San Jose took a 1-0 lead at 5:30 of the first period.
The line of Marchment, Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg won the puck on the forecheck and then cycled it behind the net.
Toffoli was facing the end boards when he made a no-look pass to the front of the net. Marchment had cut toward the crease and was a step in front of Nashville defenseman Roman Josi when he scored with a one-timer off Toffoli’s pass for his second goal of the season.
Nashville defenseman Brady Skjei hit the crossbar from just above the left hash marks off a rush with just under five minutes left in the scoreless second period.
Saros then made the save of the game with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the second to keep it a one-goal deficit.
Smith tried to wait Saros out on a drive to the net and score with a backhand, but Saros stuck out his right arm and stick while sprawled in front of his crease and deflected the puck away from the net.
Smith beat Saros at 4:28 of the third period, however, gathering a pass from Michael Kesselring as he entered the right circle and scoring with a wrist shot to make it 2-0.
Nashville went on its fourth power play of the game at 8:03 of the third period and O’Reilly scored a rebound in the crease to cut it to 2-1 at 9:05.
–Field Level Media
