There is no easy way to be a San Jose Sharks fan following what fans and even players call an “embarrassing” loss. The Sharks went from leading the Nashville Predators by three goals at the end of the first period to losing 7-5.
The game started fantastic. Macklin Celebrini hit one off Juuse Saros’ glove into the back of the net, 1:07 into the first period. Following that, there was a chain reaction of back-to-back goals from Luke Kunin, Mikael Granlund and Jake Walman, making the score a shocking 3-1 at the end of the first. Especially after the recent losing streak, the Sharks were on fire.
When Granlund added another goal in the second period, it looked like the Sharks had the game all wrapped up. But then, the goal-scoring streak was put to a devastating end 12 minutes into the second period. Fedor Svechkov landed a power play goal that ended the Sharks scoring again this game.
The Predators scored again in the second period and then kept the scoring in the third. A little over five minutes into the third period, Roman Josi scored the game tying goal. The Predators grabbed two more in the last Twelve minutes of the game, including an empty netter.
As we can see in this graph from Natural Stat Trick, the Predators’ puck possession and scoring opportunities skyrocketed in the second half of the game.

Looking at Natural Stat Trick’s heat map in all situations, the Sharks had many chances to keep the lead or overturn Nashville’s lead but failed to do so. The Sharks were slightly better in shots for in this game compared to two of its other games on the road trip. San Jose put up 24 shots last night but failed to pass the 20-shot marker in its games against the Columbus Blue Jackets (19 shots) and the New York Islanders (19 shots).

Yes, this game was a super hard watch, but if we look at it period by period, there were a ton of improvements and working strategies among the Sharks, especially in the first period. But how much longer can this go on?
Granlund and Smith are looking great
Before today’s loss, there was a lot of speculation regarding Will Smith’s contribution to the team. He had been previously benched, which sparked a lot of rumors of a potential move to place in the AHL. But This was followed by Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky put those fears to rest and reassured fans Smith is here to stay and just needs some development.
“Just a kid who is going through a part of his development and has got some low confidence,” said Warsofsky to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng.
In last night’s game against Nashville, Granlund scored 11:56 into the first period, assisted by Smith. This is what is now known as a Granny-Smith, which is probably the most clever duo name we’ve heard.
Granlund went on to double that with a smooth puck in the net four minutes into the second period. At the beginning of the season, Granlund was on a scoring streak which faded out these last few months. He has quickly shown us again that he is a consistent leader on this team. While the result of this game ultimately was disappointing, some Sharks players were showing some improvement.
Macklin Celebrini Breaking Records
Another positive thing to take away from last night’s loss is Celebrini having a multi-point game. Celebrini is currently a contender for this year’s Calder Trophy, and he is swiftly making steps toward it. What else could you expect from a first-draft pick but excellence?
The 18-year-old rookie currently has 14 goals and 20 assists, making his total 34 points. This breaks Patrick Marleau’s 1997-98 rookie year point record of 32 points in 72 games. Celebrini consistently reminds us why he is in this league at such a young age and what it takes to be a winner.
Yesterday was another reflection of how the Sharks work together as a team lately: unorganized. Can the Sharks finally keep a lead? They will return to San Jose on Thursday for a second try against Nashville.
Scoring Summary
First Period
1:07 SJS Macklin Celebrini from Cody Ceci and William Eklund
11:42 SJS Luke Kunin from Cody Ceci
11:56 SJS Mikael Granlund from Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund
12:20 NSH Tommy Novak from Luke Schenn and Zachary L’Heureux
19:31 SJS Jake Walman from Alex Wennberg
Second Period
4:28 SJS Mikael Granlund from William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini (Power Play)
12:40 NSH Fedor Svechkov from Colton Sissons and Tommy Novak (Power Play)
13:33 NSH Justin Barron from Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault
Third Period
0:28 NSH Jonathan Marchessault from Steven Stamkos and Adam Wilsby
5:23 NSH Roman Josi from Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault (Power Play)
8:09 NSH Nick Blankenburg from Tommy Novak and Jonathan Marchessault
18:38 NSH Filip Forsberg from Roman Josi (Empty Net)