Predators blow a three-goal lead, still edge sharks 6-5

Fedor Svechkov scored a third-period goal in a two-point performance and Filip Forsberg had a double count as the visiting Nashville Predators earned a 6-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

Tommy Novak recorded a goal and an assist, while Gustav Nyquist and Steven Stamkos also scored for the Predators, who have won five straight games and swept a home-and-home series with the Sharks, outscoring them 13-10.

Predators goalie Justus Annunen made 30 saves in the back-and-forth affair that saw Nashville hold leads of 3-0 and 5-2 before needing a late winner. Brady Skjei collected three assists and Zachary L’Heureux logged two assists.

Mario Ferraro recorded a goal and an assist, while Walker Duehr, Henry Thrun, Fabian Zetterlund and Macklin Celebrini added a goal for the Sharks, who have lost five straight games and eight of nine outings. Goalie Yaroslav Askarov stopped 32 shots, Mikael Granlund collected three assists and Nikolai Kovalenko had two helpers.

With the score tied 5-5, Svechkov scored Nashville’s third power-play goal of the game at 8:16 of the third period and extended his scoring streak to three games.

San Jose had several chances to force overtime, but couldn’t find the equalizer.

After overcoming a 5-1 deficit for a 7-5 home win over the Sharks on Tuesday, the Predators opened Thursday’s contest with three goals in less than seven minutes, starting with Nyquist’s power-play tally at 1 p.m. 3:58.

Novak doubled the lead 54 seconds later when he pounced on a loose puck, and Forsberg made it a 3-0 game with a long deflection at . 6:53.

Duehr, claimed off waivers by the Sharks from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, put his new team on the board at 8:12 of the opening frame to snap a 21-game scoring drought dating back to last season.

Ferraro made it a one-goal game at 16:34 of the wild opening frame.

Forsberg scored his second of the game 98 seconds into the second period with a wrap-up—his ninth goal in a seven-game hitting streak since enduring an 18-game scoring slump.

Stamkos extended the lead to 5-2 at 7:07 of the second on a power play.

The sharks clawed back again. Thrun scored his first goal of the season at 12:39 of the second, and Zetterlund’s goal 75 seconds later—which capped off a perfectly executed Odd-Man Rush—made it a 5-4 clash.

Celebrini tied the game with a power-play goal at 15:21 of the middle period, a wrist shot from the left circle.

-Field level media