Filip Forsberg scored once and added an assist, and Kieffer Bellows broke a third-period tie to give the visiting Nashville Predators a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
Steven Stamkos also scored for the Predators, who have won four straight games. Goaltender Juuse Saros, who increased his all-time record against San Jose to 13-2-1, made 25 saves.
Nashville is 13 points behind the Western Conference playoff pace with 18 games remaining.
Patrick Giles and Collin Graf replied for the Sharks, who sit at the bottom of the league standings and have won only two of 13 games. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 16 shots.
The Predators have won 13 consecutive meetings with the Sharks and continued that trend by recovering after they surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period.
Less than three minutes after the Sharks tied the game 2-2, Bellows scored the game-winning goal with his first of the season at 6:32. Forsberg stole the puck deep in the offensive zone and sent a pass to the front of the net for Bellows to convert for his first NHL goal in nearly two years (last one was March 25, 2023).
Nashville staked a two-goal lead with a pair of second-period power-play goals.
Forsberg opened the scoring at the 8:11 mark of the second period when he worked his way around the defensive zone to the right circle ripped a short-side, top-corner wrist shot.
Stamkos doubled the lead at 15:17 of the middle frame. After playing give-and-go with Brady Skjei, Stamkos fired a shot from the left circle that Georgiev managed to only put part of his glove on. Stamkos notched his fifth goal, and ninth point, in four outings.
The Predators have scored seven power-play goals in three games against San Jose this season. The Sharks have surrendered 11 opposition power-play markers in six games.
To their credit, the Sharks battled back with a pair of goals 14 seconds apart early in the third period.
Giles notched his first NHL goal to put the hosts on the board at 3:42 of the period when he slipped a shot home from the slot for his milestone marker.
Graf tied the clash with his second career goal, finishing a play set up by some excellent forechecking and a slick pass from Will Smith to him in the slot.
–Field Level Media
