Nedeljkovic makes 32 saves, helps Sharks recover for shootout win against Predators

NASHVILLE -- Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 saves, and Macklin Celebrini scored the lone goal in the shootout for the San Jose Sharks, who recovered to defeat the Nashville Predators, 3-2 in a shootout at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

Celebrini skated in along the left side before cutting to the middle of the ice and sneaking a shot by Juuse Saros’ glove.

“Great shot,” Nedeljkovic said. “He’s been trying that all year in practice, I feel like. It’s nice to see him get rewarded. It’s a hard move for me (to save). … He put it in a perfect spot."

Nashville forward Steven Stamkos tied the game 2-2 at 19:59 of third period when he buried a wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle.

Will Smith and Mason Marchment scored for the Sharks (4-3-0), who had lost three of their past four games.

“For the most part, I liked a lot of our game,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “I thought there was some improvement in some areas. There are still areas to work on, but we’ll take the two points and move on.”

Ryan O'Reilly also scored for the Predators (2-2-3), who have lost four of their past five (1-1-3). Saros made 30 saves.

“We’re a resilient group,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “You kind of felt the tide turning there in the last 10-12 minutes of the (third) period. We were hoping for one last look, and we got one. 'Stammer' did Stammer things. It was a big goal. It would’ve been nice to put the game away, both teams in overtime had chances. … They’re coin flips when we get to that spot in the game.”

Tyler Toffoli’s no-look pass from below the goal line to Marchment gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 5:30 of the first period. Toffoli corralled a loose puck behind the net and fed a pass to Marchment in the slot, where he sent a one-timer past Saros.

Smith made it 2-0 at 4:28 of the third period. Michael Kesselring sent a backhand pass from the right boards to Smith, who then skated into the right circle before placing a wrist shot to the blocker side.

O'Reilly cut the deficit to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 9:05 after Jonathan Marchessault took the initial one-timer from the left circle, and O'Reilly chipped in the rebound under Nedeljkovic's arm from in front.

With Saros pulled for the extra attacker, Stamkos evened the score to force overtime. With the goal, Stamkos became the first player in NHL history with two game-tying goals in the final second of regulation, having scored on a similar play in a 3-2 overtime loss at the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 4, 2025.

“I didn’t see the initial shot from the left,” Nedeljkovic said. “There was traffic. I think it actually hit me, and then the rebound kind of fluttered in the middle. With a 500-goal scorer in the NHL, the puck is always going to find his stick somehow.”

Nedeljkovic robbed Predators defenseman Roman Josi with nine seconds remaining in overtime when he lunged across the crease to make a glove save.

“He was unbelievable,” Smith said of Nedeljkovic. “He won that game for us. He was unbelievable all night. You always feel comfortable with him back there.”

NOTES: Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse (upper body) did not play despite being a full participant in Thursday’s morning skate. He suffered the injury during a fight with Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov in the third period of a 6-3 loss on Tuesday. Warsofsky said Nurse is day to day. … Kesselring’s assist on Smith's goal was his first point since being traded to San Jose from the Buffalo Sabres on June 17. … Josi (three goals, 12 assists) has recorded at least one point in 11 straight games against the Sharks dating back to the 2022-23 season, which is the third-longest active point streak by a defenseman against a single opponent. ... Stamkos accounts for two of the franchise’s three game-tying goals in the final second of regulation. The other was scored by Mikael Granlund (Feb. 27, 2020).