“I liked our game tonight, and we’ve got to bring that to Game 5”. “It’s 2-2 right now”. Defensively, the San Jose Sharks are allowing 2.5 goals per game and are killing 80.5 percent of their power play chances. They have not lost consecutive road games since December 18 and 20. The series is all square heading back to the Sharks Tank for game 5 on Saturday.
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NOTES: Wilson passed now-Sharks forward Joel Ward (nine) for second-most playoff goals in franchise history with his 10th. They upheld that ruling after review for Pavelski crashing into Rinne and pinning him down before the puck crossed the line. It’s as ambivalent as “incidental contact” can get – is it really “incidental contact” if a player is shoved into the goaltender by an opponent?
“Everyone thought the sky was falling”, DeBoer said. “I guess incidental contact is when you’re cross-checked from behind while you are in the air and you have the opportunity to stop”.
Prior to the victor, an apparent Joe Pavelski goal in the first overtime was waved off after a lengthy review.
Couture felt the Sharks have done a decent job of keeping the puck away from Rinne on their forechecks, but Nashville’s defensemen “are still breaking the puck out pretty well and they’re jumping into the rush”.
Meanwhile, the Stars are facing serious question marks in goal following their demoralizing loss, as they’ve seen their starter get chased in each of their past two games.
The puck kept finding Fisher in Game 4, and he did not spoil his golden looks at the net.
“A win like this gives a boost of energy to everyone”, said the defenseman. “He got a shot through, and I just kind of go in there and got the rebound and (got) it home”. Early in the third period, Patrick Marleau’s wraparound attempt early in the third overtime missed an open net by inches. Paul Stastny also scored off a deflection from Tarasenko.
The Sharks outshot the Predators 11-4 in the second overtime, with perhaps their best chance to score coming with 3:49 left.
Weber then took his second penalty in the third overtime interfering with Chris Tierney but just as they did before, the Nashville penalty killers were able to kill off the Sharks’ man advantage.
Both games on Thursday went to overtime, and it had everything to do with goaltending.
Polak was standing in front of the Sharks’ crease when Weber’s shot from just inside the blue line appeared to catch Polak’s hand with 1:52 left in the first period.
Early in the third period Tuesday, a second effort by the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson almost tied the game 2-2 as the puck slipped under Rinne’s pads but past the far post.
“It was a huge game, obviously, to tie the series up”, Nashville forward Filip Forsberg said.
“We had so many chances”, said Sharks center Logan Couture, who insisted he and his teammates could avoid that mental letdown and shake off the 4-3 loss to the Predators after five hours of intense rushes, gutsy shot blocking, multiple lead changes, world class goalie play and frustration.
Fisher and the Predators might be signing the tunes of Carrie Underwood on the flight to San Jose, but the Sharks might want to crank up the Beatles’ “Yesterday”.
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Wilson tied a franchise playoff record by extending his points streak to five games.
