Nedeljkovic makes 32 saves as San Jose Sharks beat Nashville Predators 3-2 in a shootout

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The San Jose Sharks completed a 3-2 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, rallying after a late regulation tie and then converting the decisive attempt in the skills competition. Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 saves for San Jose and, in the shootout, Macklin Celebrini scored the lone goal while Nedeljkovic held the Predators to the final margin.

The game’s first breakthrough came on a transition play created by Tyler Toffoli. Toffoli corralled a loose puck behind the net and fed a pass to Mason Marchment in the slot, where Marchment finished with a one-timer at 5:30 of the first period to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead over Juuse Saros.

San Jose then extended its lead in the third period as Will Smith scored at 4:28. Michael Kesselring sent a backhand pass from the right boards into Smith’s route, and Smith skated into the right circle before firing a wrist shot to the blocker side to make it 2-0.

Nashville responded with a power-play goal late in the third. Ryan O’Reilly cut the deficit to 2-1 at 9:05 after Jonathan Marchessault took the initial one-timer from the left circle, and O’Reilly chipped in the rebound under Nedeljkovic’s arm from in front.

With Nashville still trailing and Saros pulled for the extra attacker, Steven Stamkos tied the game with one second remaining in regulation. Stamkos scored on a wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle, forcing overtime and setting up a late, dramatic finish for the Predators.

Stamkos’ tying goal came with historical significance noted by the league: with the score, he became the first player in NHL history to record two game-tying goals in the final second of regulation. The recap also states he previously did so on a similar play in a 3-2 overtime loss at the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 4, 2025.

Overtime produced chances for both sides before the contest was decided in the shootout. Nedeljkovic made a late save in extra time, lunging across the crease to rob Roman Josi with nine seconds remaining in overtime when he reached for a glove save.

In the shootout sequence, Macklin Celebrini provided the winning moment for San Jose. Celebrini skated in along the left side before cutting to the middle of the ice, then sneaked a shot past Saros by the glove side as the Sharks captured the extra point.

The win lifted San Jose to 4-3-0 in the season record cited in the recap. Nashville fell to 2-2-3, with the Predators having had recent results described in the league summary as losing four of their past five games.

After the decision, the Sharks’ coach, Ryan Warsofsky, said, “For the most part, I liked a lot of our game. I thought there was some improvement in some areas. There are still areas to work on, but we’ll take the two points and move on.” The Predators’ coach, Andrew Brunette, described the final stretch and overtime as a swing situation, saying, “We’re a resilient group,” and noting that the teams’ chances made it “coin flips” when they reached that point in the game.

Thursday’s matchup also included injury and team-notes affecting lineup planning. Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse did not play despite participating fully in the morning skate; the recap says he suffered the injury during a fight with Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov in the third period of a 6-3 loss on Tuesday, and Warsofsky indicated Nurse is day to day. The league summary also reports that Kesselring’s assist on Smith’s goal was his first point since being traded to San Jose from the Buffalo Sabres on June 17.

Defensively and offensively, the recap highlighted notable production patterns and milestones. It notes that Josi recorded at least one point in 11 straight games against the Sharks dating back to the 2022-23 season, described as the third-longest active point streak by a defenseman against a single opponent. It also states that Stamkos accounted for two of the franchise’s three game-tying goals scored in the final second of regulation, with the other coming from Mikael Granlund on Feb. 27, 2020.

With Nedeljkovic anchoring the victory through 32 saves and San Jose converting the key shootout chance, the Sharks earned the extra point after Nashville’s late regulation equalizer and an overtime that ended with no additional goals. The result leaves both clubs to regroup following a game defined by timing: Saros’ goaltending through regulation and overtime, and Nedeljkovic’s decisive stops in extra time and the shootout.