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 Ward's fourth career game-winning goal in the playoffs enabled San
Jose to take a 1-0 lead in its best-of-seven Western Conference
semifinal series against the Predators.
Game 2 is Sunday at SAP Center.
Ward took a lead pass from rookie Joonas Donskoi to break in alone
after the Sharks forced a turnover at center. Ward drove in close to
Pekka Rinne, waited for the Nashville goalie to commit, then slid
behind on the forehand before tucking the puck over the goal line on
the backhand.
San Jose goalie Martin Jones stopped 29 of 31 shots during the win.
 Logan Couture capped the third-period comeback with his second goal
of the postseason, a power-play strike at 15:40 just 19 seconds into
the advantage when he redirected a Joe Pavelski feed past Rinne.
Couture scored again at 18:31 into an empty net just 20 seconds
after Nashville's Ryan Johansen redirected a shot by defenseman
Roman Josi over Jones with an extra skater to cut the margin to one
goal.
San Jose's Tommy Wingels also scored into an empty net at 19:10
after blocking a shot by Predators defenseman Shea Weber.
The Sharks gained the equalizer early in the third period as Tomas
Hertl's power-play goal at 2:37 found a way under the left catching
glove of Rinne and just inside the near post.
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Ward fed Hertl, who was at the bottom of the right circle when he
shot. The Sharks converted 1:46 into Ryan Johansen's holding penalty
on Pavelski.
The Sharks had more shots in the second period (14-10), but the
Predators broke through early to score the only goal in the first 40
minutes.
San Jose left winger Matt Nieto tripped Nashville center Colin
Wilson deep in the offensive zone at 2:45 and the Predators embarked
on their second power play of the game.
Johansen's seam pass found Mike Fisher alone at the left dot, and
the veteran center wristed his second goal of the postseason over
the shoulder of Jones at 4:33.
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