Rinne gets 300th NHL win, Predators top Sharks

NASHVILLE -- Pekka Rinne made 33 saves for his 300th NHL win, and the Nashville Predators defeated the San Jose Sharks 7-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.
Rinne became the 34th goaltender in NHL history to reach the milestone. He is 300-164-66 in 12 seasons, all with Nashville.

"You don't really set those kinds of goals for yourself, how many wins you hope to win in your career," Rinne said. "But for sure, it's a lot of wins. I'm proud of it. I've been here for a long time and have played for very good teams, winning hockey, and I think that's the biggest factor in my success."
\[WATCH: All Sharks vs. Predators highlights\]
Nick Bonino, Calle Jarnkrok, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen each had a goal and an assist for the Predators (37-14-9), who are in first place in the Central Division, four points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets.

"I think the last two weeks we've gotten points, we've gotten wins, but I think there's just been periods and certain areas in the game that we've been playing really well," Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "I thought tonight we really showed what kind of damage this team can do. When everyone is playing like this it could be a fun stretch."
Logan Couture scored for the Sharks (33-20-8), who had a three-game winning streak end. They are in second place in the Pacific Division, 10 points behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Aaron Dell made 39 saves.
"It didn't feel like a 7-1 game," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "Obviously we own it and that's what it ended up being, but 3-1 going into the third, we're on the power play. I thought we were playing a pretty decent road game. You have to credit them, they have the ability to open the flood gates and really pour it on. They did that in the third, and it got away from us."
Bonino gave the Predators a 1-0 lead 1:55 into the first period on a wraparound. He tracked down the rebound of a shot by Roman Josi and beat Dell for his ninth goal.

Scott Hartnell made it 2-0 at 19:17. Bonino made a backhand lead pass that Hartnell shot past Dell for his 10th goal.
Couture cut the lead to 2-1 at 8:37 of the second period on a backhand on the rush. The shot trickled through Rinne's pads for Couture's 25th goal.
Kevin Fiala gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at 15:57 on a 2-on-1 rush. It was his 19th goal.
Arvidsson made it 4-1 at 3:49 of the third period on the power play. P.K. Subban took the original shot from the point, and Arvidsson scored on the rebound for his 22nd goal.

Johansen's eighth goal of the season, a shot from the slot, made it 5-1 at 6:30, and Ekholm made it 6-1 at 11:00 with his eighth goal.
"You could just see how [much] trouble the opposing team gets in matchups," Ekholm said. "They're trying to get the right people out there, but we just have four lines rolling and they all do damage offensively."
Jarnkrok made it 7-1 at 17:51 with his 15th goal.
Subban did not play the final 6:36.
"I'm not sure," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said of Subban's status. "We'll have an answer of some sort tomorrow."

Goal of the game

Fiala's goal at 15:57 of the second period.

Save of the game

Rinne's save on Couture at 15:46 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Johansen's goal at 6:30 of the third period.

They said it

"I don't think we were as bad as the score indicated. We were bad in the last 15 minutes of that game, but there's always things you can learn. The nice thing is we get to go right back at it tomorrow and rebound." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer
"I'm very proud. I was 22 when I came here to this organization, spent three years in Milwaukee (AHL) and now 10 [full] years here. It's my second home. It's where I've spent my adulthood and grown up as a man and as a person. I obviously consider this my team. Hopefully one day I can end my playing days here, but that's far ahead." -- Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne on getting 300 wins with the Predators

Need to know

Sharks forward Tomas Hertl played 21:04 and had six shots on goal after missing three games with an upper-body injury. … Arvidsson had six shots on goal and nine shot attempts. He has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in his past 15 games.

What's next

Sharks: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; WGN, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)
Predators:Host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday (12 p.m. ET; NBC, TVAS, NHL.TV)