(Sports Network) - The San Jose Sharks will take another shot at their first
win of the month when they visit the Nashville Predators for Tuesday's clash
at Bridgestone Arena.
The Sharks turned heads with a 7-0 start to the season in January, but they
are 0-3-2 since the calendar flipped to February.
San Jose's most recent loss came Monday at the start of a six-game road trip,
as the Sharks were dealt a 6-2 setback by the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was
the highest goal output of the season for the Blue Jackets, who are ranked
25th in the NHL in offense,
Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski scored for the Sharks, while Thomas Greiss
gave up all six goals on 36 shots. It was the 10th goal of the season for
Marleau, but his first since Jan. 27.
The Sharks fell to 2-2-0 on the road this season. After Tuesday's game in the
Music City, San Jose will head to Chicago where the Sharks will face the
Blackhawks on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Predators will try to get back on track Tuesday after the club
scored only one goal over a pair of losses this weekend.
Nashville was handed a 2-1 overtime setback at Minnesota on Saturday and lost
3-0 the following night against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. Directly
before the 0-1-1 slide the Predators were on a season-high four-game winning
streak.
Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford needed to stop only 17 shots to notch his
Sunday's shutout victory in Nashville. The Preds had three shots in the first,
four more in the second and finally sent 10 Crawford's way in the last 20
minutes.
"You have to give them credit, but at the same time we weren't getting pucks
and bodies to the net," Nashville forward Colin Wilson said. "We were playing
an outskirts game."
With the win the Blackhawks remained the only NHL team without a regulation
loss this season, improving their record to 10-0-2.
Pekka Rinne recorded 24 saves for Nashville, which has been blanked three
times over its last nine games.
Getting defenseman Shea Weber untracked would be a good way for the Predators
to jump-start their sagging offense. The star blueliner has recorded a total
of 74 goals over his previous four seasons, but has no markers and one assist
in 12 games this year.
Weber, who signed a 14-year, $110 million deal to stay with Nashville last
summer, has five goals and 13 assists in 24 career games against the Sharks.
The Predators won the first of this season's three meetings against San Jose
on Feb. 2, notching a 2-1 shootout victory at the Shark Tank. Rinne stopped
26-of-27 shots in the triumph and is 6-2-4 with a 2.17 goals against average
in 13 lifetime games versus San Jose.
Nashville has won three of four overall in this series, but the Sharks have
three victories in their last five trips to the Music City.
The Sports Network