NASHVILLE – Considering the Predators entered their game with the Sharks on Saturday with the fewest points from forwards in the NHL, they were probably overdue for a couple fortunate bounces.
They got them, along with some stellar goaltending by Pekka Rinne early, in a 6-2 win over the Sharks at Bridgestone Arena. San Jose dropped to 1-2 on its four-game road trip.
Two Nashville goals were directly generated by awkward bounces off the glass. The first, by Calle Jarnkrok, gave the Predators a 2-0 second period lead when Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s clearing attempt hit a dead spot and was cut off by Ryan Johansson, who quickly found an open Jarnkrok in the slot.