Nashville Must Hate San Jose

Video Highlights from Last Game

On their second stop of this six game road trip, the San Jose Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators by a final score of 4 - 3. This victory is not an uncommon event for Team Teal as the Sharks always seem to beat the Preds...in the regular season and the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, Nashville is capable of beating San Jose, but just not that often. I've got to believe that there are a few Nashville fans out there that hate the Sharks...just like how I hate the Red Wings. In fact, I'm pretty sure of it and it makes me smile.

In a very gritty see-saw battle, the Sharks and Predators traded hits, fights, and goals for almost 52 minutes. Unfortunately for Nashville, it wasn't until that 52nd minute that the Sharks finally took the lead for the first time during a game that featured six previous goals combined. On the powerplay, the Predators failed on a clearing attempt and San Jose jumped on the opportunity. With the puck in the far corner, Patrick Marleau skated towards the crease and sent a pass along the ice right to Dany Heatley's stick. Number 15 made no mistake and buried his 32nd goal of the season and second of the game. Even with a defender on top of the crease, the two wingers found a way to convert on the game winner.

However, the game winner was not the top story for me...it was the outstanding goaltending exhibited by the Sharks' Evgeni Nabokov. After taking a game off in St. Louis, Nabby came back with a simply amazing effort. If it weren't for Number 20 and his 35 saves, San Jose would be leaving Music City with a .500 record on this road trip. Some of the saves Nabby made tonight were awesome...to be honest, Jason Arnott is probably going to have nightmares about how well Nabokov played.

Overall, it was a very sloppy game for San Jose...with the exception of Nabby and Heatley. A lot of turnovers, missed defensive assignments, drop passes to nobody...just ugly hockey. Hopefully, they'll get their game together as they head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs. Just when I thought we'd seen the last of Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere...there they are again.

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