Kieffer Bellows scored the game-winner and the Nashville Predators defeated the San Jose Sharks by a 3-2 final on Tuesday night at SAP Center. The result sees the Preds sweep the three-game season series against the Sharks and extend their point streak against San Jose to 16 games overall.
Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos scored power-play goals for Nashville, and Juuse Saros made 25 saves to propel the Preds to their fourth consecutive victory.
“Even when they scored two goals and tied it up, I think our team did a really good job of bouncing back, sticking to the details,” Bellows said. “I thought we had good glimpses of creating plays, making plays, and just keeping it simple. Obviously, big saves by [Saros], the whole entire game.”
“It was tough sledding,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought they worked really hard, [it was a] fast team, and we probably didn't manage things very good most of the game. Power play was big, and [Saros] was outstanding.”
Neither team found the back of the net in a first period that featured a pair of scraps - with Andreas Englund and Cole Smith dropping the gloves for the Preds - but in the second stanza, Nashville’s power play went to work.
First, Forsberg collected the puck in the right corner and walked out to fire an unstoppable wrister top shelf past Alexandar Georgiev to put the Preds on the board. Then, off a scramble in front, Brady Skjei regrouped and found Stamkos in the left circle, and No. 91 wristed home his fifth goal in his last four games to give the visitors a 2-0 lead after two periods.
Not to be outdone, Saros was brilliant in the middle frame and stopped Tyler Toffoli not once, but twice, on a breakaway during a Sharks power play to keep the Preds ahead. But, early in the final frame, the Sharks tallied twice within 14 seconds of each other to even the score and send the Preds back on the offensive.
Less than three minutes after San Jose evened the score, it was Bellows who took a feed from Forsberg in front and deposited the puck over the line to give Nashville their last lead of the night and the first NHL tally for Bellows since March of 2023.
“Felt good,” Bellows said of his goal. “It was just a good play. I couldn't have done it without [Forsberg and McCarron] on my line, there. Just keeping it simple, getting pucks deep, [Forsberg] with a good forecheck and lucky enough, it went in.”
“Really happy for him,” Brunette said of Bellows. “I mean it's a great story, it's been a little while and he's had to go back and earn it a bit, and it's good to see… He gets his opportunity and capitalizes with a big goal for us. He’s been really good for us every game, so hopefully he gets a little confidence off that and takes off.”
Earlier in the season, that 14-second span that saw San Jose tie the game may have spelled the end for the Predators. But this time around, they simply found a way to get the job done and earn their fourth win in as many tries - and it’s clear where the belief comes from.
“I think that comes from the veteran leadership on our bench,” Bellows said. “[Stamkos], O'Reilly, all the big guys, I think they just do a good job of calming us down. You see it in their play every single shift, they're giving it their all. I think that just shows some of us younger guys and less experienced guys, just shows [that] sticking to the details will work.”
Notes:
Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged on Tuesday night from Saturday’s win with 11 forwards, seven defensemen and no healthy scratches. Forwards Michael Bunting and Zach L’Heureux both participated in Tuesday’s morning skate, but they remain on Injured Reserve.
Per NHL Stats, Filip Forsberg opened the scoring with his 25th goal of 2024-25 and became the fourth Swedish-born player to reach the plateau in eight or more seasons, joining Mats Sundin (15), Daniel Alfredsson (8) and Markus Naslund (8).
Steven Stamkos scored his 577th career goal to tie Mark Recchi for 22nd place on the NHL’s all-time list.
The Predators will now head to Southern California ahead of a back-to-back set that starts Friday in Anaheim before concluding Saturday in Los Angeles.
