On Wednesday night, the Nashville Predators travelled to the SAP Center to take on the San Jose Sharks.
Last season was not productive when the Preds were in San Jose with two shutout losses, so they looked to better their odds against the Sharks.
The Preds were able to get on the board first as Eric Nystrom scored his third of the season to give Nashville a 1-0 lead at 03:22 of the first period.
The scoring would not pick back up until the third period as the Sharks, Joe Pavelski, put away his forth goal of the season to tie up the late night physical match-up at 1:28.
Calle Jarnkrok sealed the victory for Nashville in the third period with his first goal of the 2015-16 campaign at 08:52.
The Preds will continue their west coast swing as they make their way to Los Angeles to take on the Kings.
On Tuesday, the Kings defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1.
Keys to Watch
Toffoli on a Tear
One of the main keys for the Nashville defense will be containing the consistent play of Tyler Toffoli. The Scarborough, ON, Canada native has been scoring at will over the most recent games. In the last five, #73 has five goals on 13 shots, one assist, and a +6 rating. He has been a mainstay in the offense and one of Los Angeles’ most dependable players on offense. Nashville will need to keep him in check or it could spell trouble for the Preds.
Shootout Success
This season, the Nashville Predators have been exceptional in shootouts. With the new three-on-three system for overtime, Nashville has been able to come up big in the extra time. Currently, Nashville is in first place with a save percentage of .833 in shootouts and also the most wins with two. If this match-up goes into extra time this afternoon, look for Pekka Rinne to come up big. The Preds will need him to do so.
Emergence of Calle
With the game-winning goal on Wednesday, Calle Jarnkrok was able to get on the board for the first time this season. He’s an unsung hero on this Nashville team. Jarnkrok uses his speed and determination to fight for pucks, play defensive-minded hockey, and play an overall “gritty” game. With a traditionally physical team in the Kings, look for Jarnkrok to continue progressing into a needed player on this roster.
This afternoon, Nashville will look to take the lead back in the Western Conference as they have an early afternoon game against the Kings. Puck drops at a special time of 3:00pm this afternoon. Fox Sports-Tennessee will be carrying the game and you can always listen to 102.5 The Game for the play-by-play coverage.
