Preds Trade Comebacks in Loss to Sharks

Tuesday night will be remembered by the Nashville Predators more for what it could have been, rather than what it was.
Visitors to SAP Center for the evening, the Preds erased a flat first period that saw them fall behind 3-0 by scoring the next four to take the lead in the third period. Two goals in 13 seconds flipped the narrative back to the Sharks, however, as San Jose used Joe Thornton's 400th career goal to claim a 5-4 victory.
The regulation loss on the road was the first of the season for the Predators. Nashville's record stands a 13-4-1, with San Jose delivering two of the losses, each by a final score of 5-4.

"Lousy first, good second, back and forth in the third," Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of Tuesday's outing. "We made some mistakes there at the end that cost us, and we had plenty of looks and chances to make it 5-3 or even go back to tie it again, but it didn't bounce for us."
The game's first 40 minutes delivered a tale of polar opposites. The opening period saw the Preds surrender three goals and 18 shots, but then they countered with three of their own in the second stanza.
Marcus Sorensen, Joe Pavelski and Antti Suomela all tallied for San Jose in the first, but Craig Smith got his team on the board in the second when he slid home a loose puck at the 4:43 mark. Less than a minute later, Filip Forsberg converted on a breakaway, and then he beat Martin Jones once more before the period was out to even the score at three all.

"It was a bad start, that's really the only way to explain [it]… but after that, this group is all about just trying to bounce back, and the second period was good," Forsberg said. "What they did to us in the first, we did to them in the second. There was obviously a lot of regret in the room after the first and we came out and showed that in the second."
In the end, taking the lead in the third period is what stings the most for Nashville - considering the final score. Winger Rocco Grimaldi potted his first as a member of the Preds to give them their first lead of the evening as he deked out Jones on a breakaway chance.

Later, Jones flashed leather to deny Smith on a 2-on-1, and after the Predators could not extend their lead with a late power play chance, the Sharks struck and struck quickly to surge back ahead.
The Preds continued to press until the final horn, but they were unable to find a fifth goal.
"We came in after the first and we knew it was not acceptable for the best team in the League," Grimaldi said. "We came out, and we showed why we're on top right now. We had a great second and a great third, and just because of that first period, it ended up biting us in the end."

Notes:
Forward Calle Jarnkrok missed his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury.
The Predators conclude their five-game road trip on Thursday night in Arizona before returning home to Bridgestone Arena on Saturday to host the Los Angeles Kings.