Sharks Lose in Nashville 3-2

First Period

Big Picture: Not the best period for San Jose, but taking a 1-0 lead into the second while on the road is a plus.

Snapshots: Nabokov was very aggressive to start the game, and nearly got backdoored a couple of times. If the team is going to succeed tonight and going forward, the defense needs to be more physical in front and behind the net- Blake's injury hurts us severely in this department.... Nabokov was about as solid as we can expect in the first, making a myriad of nice saves throughout the first twenty.... JR on the first line is a nice idea when we're dealing with all the injuries. The low cycle is essential to the first line's production, and Sir Roenick has got the hands and body to complement that well.... Nashville's forecheck was, as always, raising hell on the the Sharks breakout. They had trouble generating anything for the first half of the game, and resorted to flipping the puck (right button and joystick ftw) out of the zone a fair amount of times.... Winning those ever important puck possession battles along the defensive zone boards are a definite problem right now.... Early whistle on Gooch? Lame. Joe Pavs gets one back with a very nice shovel pass by Ehrhoff, who has played well the last three games. For a guy with as many inconsistencies as Christian, it's always a pleasure to watch him when he's on top of his game...

Second Period

Big Picture: We mentioned the Preds forward speed in the game preview, and that was the story of the period.

Snapshots: Dumont hits the post for the Preds, second clank city of the game. Some pretty porous defense amounted to that chance.... Credit Michalek with a big part of Gooch's goal on the power play, camping out in front of the net and disrupting Rinne. He follows that up with a great PK, burning nearly half a minute in the Preds zone by refusing to give up possession of the puck. We touched upon his commitment to defense at the beginning of this season, and it's about time we give him another shout out.... The Preds quick forwards once again have been causing problems for the Sharks D, with Ward blazing past Semenov for a great scoring opportunity.... Let that previous sentence marinate in your mind a little bit. Once again, the Preds speed comes back to bite the Sharks in the rear. Patty takes a bad angle to Weber (the puck carrier), and Luko fails to cover the far post- Bonk with the chip in to get back within one.... Well here we go folks. Boyle and Luko get caught in some miscommunication, overpursue to the far post. Nice cut back by Sullivan to find Erat all alone on the short side.... Zanon puts the Preds up 3-2. Some solid traffic in front for Bubba....

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The Good Times Gang Intermission Internet Engagement

People Skydiving to See Space Shuttle Launch

Seven Terrifying Creatures You'll Never See Coming

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Third Period

Big Picture: Nothing going on for San Jose.

Snapshots: About fifteen icings between the two teams during the period.... This isn't solely a third period observation, but San Jose consistently lost forecheck and puck retrieval battles all night. No matter which way you cut it, and how many pretty goals off the rush you score, that is going to end in an early playoff exit. Period.... On that note, the fourth line was one of the few who could give the Preds trouble in the offensive zone. While that's all well and good, the top lines are the ones with the scoring hands. Shelley & Co. may slow the game down and wear down the Preds D, but they're not getting thrown out there against scoring lines. At best it's bringing energy to the bench, at worst it's just a wash.... With four minutes left in the game, nothing is going on for the Sharks in the third. Credit Nashville with slowing the game down and dominating San Jose in the corners.... Ehrhoff's been getting pucks on net lately, and it seems like he's taken a little off in terms of his shot. Three quarters might be the way to go when winding up the slapper.... Some good opportunities on the power play at the end of the game. No dice....

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Even Strength Numbers

1) Nashville outshoots San Jose 31-22

2) Nashville outscores San Jose 2-0

3) Sharks 39% from the dot

Go Sharks.