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 Jarnkrok scored the tie-breaking goal and goalie Pekka Rinne did the
rest as the Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Wednesday at
SAP Center.
"I was just trying to get my legs going there in the first period,"
Jarnkrok said. "It got better in the second and better in the third.
It was good to be back out there."
Jarnkrok collected his first goal of the season at 8:52 of the third
period with a shot from the right dot that fluttered over the left
shoulder of Sharks goalie Martin Jones after ramping off the stick
of San Jose defenseman Matt Tennyson. All but two of Jankrok's 10
career goals have been scored on the road.
"I got a good pass from (Gabriel) Bourque there," Jarnkrok said. "I
was looking for him the whole way down but I couldn't find him so I
had to take the shot, and it went in."
Rinne, who stopped 93 of 96 in three games against San Jose last
season, stopped 20 of 21.
"I thought we played well defensively," Predators coach Peter
Laviolette said. "We got some big saves when we needed, timely
goals, and it was a good game."
San Jose didn't manage a shot on goal with Jones pulled for the
final 1:45. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic did draw iron, however,
with a blast from the left point with 55 seconds left.
"Yeah," Rinne started, "got a little lucky there."
The Sharks continue to struggle on the power play, especially at
home. San Jose was 0-for-2 against the Predators to extend a
goal-less streak with the man advantage at home to nine straight.
"We've got to start putting them in on the power play," Sharks
captain Joe Pavelski said. "We've done some good things, but now
it's time to put it across that line."
San Jose has gone 13 straight power plays without a goal over six
games, and is just 3-for-27 (11.1 percent) for the season. Certainly
they miss injured Logan Couture on the unit, but there is still
plenty of veteran firepower available.
"We definitely had an opportunity to win the special teams' game,
which we didn't," San Jose right winger Tommy Wingels added.
The Sharks tied the game early in the third period on their 15th
shot of the game. Center Joe Thornton fed Tennyson in the high slot
and the defenseman put a wrist shot on Rinne that caromed in front
where Pavelski rammed home his fourth goal at 1:28.
"It feels good to score," Pavelski said. "But you move and work for
that next one. And they got the next one so that takes away from it
a little bit."
Nashville scored the only goal of a fast-paced opening period.
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The Predators got their offense from an unlikely source -- the
fourth line. Left winger Eric Nystrom scored his third goal of the
season with a one-time blast from the left dot that beat Jones low
on the short side at 3:22.
"We probably could have won that one," Jones said. "A couple soft
goals were probably the difference tonight."
Nystrom showed a quick release on defenseman Roman Josi's feed as
Nashville converted on a 3-on-3 rush. Jones made a blocker save a
minute later on left winger Filip Forsberg as the Predators tried to
capitalize on a 2-on-1 break.
"We need a save there," Jones added. "Early in the game you see a
save. It's tough to come back from against a good defensive team
with a good goalie. I don't think good saves make up for bad goals."
NOTES: Rookie LW Joonas Donskoi returned to the San Jose lineup
after missing five games due to a lower-body injury. He rejoined the
top line of C Joe Thornton and RW Joe Pavelski. Ben Smith also
returned to center the Sharks' fourth line after missing three games
after sustaining a cut to his ear that required 17 stitches when
struck by a puck shot by teammate D Marc-Edouard Vlasic. ... The
Predators recalled F Miikka Salomaki from Milwaukee of the AHL.
Salomaki, D Anthony Bitetto and D Victor Bartley did not dress. ...
The Sharks assigned LW John McCarthy and C Bryan Lerg to their AHL
affiliate in San Jose. D Mirco Mueller was San Jose's lone healthy
scratch. ... The Predators continue their four-game trip with games
on back-to-back nights Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles and
Anaheim, respectively, before closing out the trek next Thursday in
St. Paul against Minnesota. ... The Sharks capped a three-game
homestand. They next play in Dallas on Saturday and in Denver
against Colorado on Sunday.
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