Nashville Predators play San Jose Sharks Saturday night

March 1, 2013 |

Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks

Satuarday, March 2nd, 2013 | 9:30pm (CT)
San Jose, CA | HP Pavilion

Nashville, TN – With their second visit to HP Pavilion in the last month, the Nashville Predators wrap up their 2012-13 season series against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

In Nashville’s first visit here on February 2nd, in game No.6 of a franchise-record tying seven-game road trip, Sergei Kostitsyn notched his first goal of the season that night, while NHL sophomore Craig Smith recorded the only goal in the shootout in a 2-1 shootout victory.

NHL – Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators (Kelvin Kuo – USA TODAY Sports)

Nashville has picked up points in all but one of its last 10 games against the Sharks, posting a 5-1-3 record, and is 4-1-1 in the series since the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign.

Nashville failed to earn a point against the Ducks for the first time in nine regular season games dating back to November 7th, 2010. The Predators fell to 9-2-5 when scoring at least one goal. Nashville gave up more than four goals for the second time this season. Kyle Palmieri recorded the 29th hat trick against the Predators.

NHL – Shea Weber, Nashville Predators (Photo by Don McPeak – USA TODAY Sports)

The Ducks out-shot the Predators, 28-21. It marked just the second time in the last nine games Nashville has been out-shot, and it was the Predators lowest shot total since February 10th vs. Chicago (17). The Predators won the face-off battle 35-24 (60 percent). Paul Gaustad led the way by winning 15-of-24 draws taken (79 percent), while both David Legwand (8 of 12) and Craig Smith (6 of 9) won 67 percent of their face-offs taken.

Gaustad has the best face-off winning percentage in the league at 63.8. Kevin Klein recorded his fifth assist of the season. He did not record his fifth assist of the 2011-12 campaign until December 15th, Game No. 31. Shea Weber led all skaters with four hits. Patric Hornqvist tied for a game high and led all Predators with five shots on goal.

Among Western Conference teams, Shea Weber has a .70 points per game average or better against three teams – Columbus (0.81), Edmonton (0.74) and San Jose (0.72). He has 18 points (5g-13a) in 25 career games against the Sharks, including five points (2g-3a) in his last six games. Rinne has stopped 51-of-52 shots in two 2012-13 games against the Sharks to improve his career record against them to 7-2-4 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.

Shea Weber has been nearly a point-per-game player as of late, after collecting seven points (3g-4a) in his last eight outings. That streak has moved Nashville’s captain into a tie for fourth in team scoring with eight points (3g-5a). Weber’s defensive partner, Roman Josi more than doubled his season points total with the first four-point outing (2g-2a) of his career last Monday against Dallas. It was the first four-point performance by a Predators d-man since October 18th, 2008, when Weber posted a goal and three assists against Columbus. The Bern, Switzerland native now ranks sixth on the team in scoring with seven points (3g-4a) this season.

NHL – Nashville Predators Colin Wilson. (Photo by Don McPeak – USA TODAY Sports)

The Predators are 6-2-2 against the Pacific Division in 2012-13. Colin Wilson has been a point-per-game player for the Predators as of late, posting 14 points (4g-10a) in his last 14 games played. He leads the Predators in points this season (5g-10a-15pts), after being in on 15 of the last 32 Predator goals.

In his last 14 appearances going back to January 31st, Pekka Rinne’s numbers rank among the League’s top goaltenders during that span – he is 8-4-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He also has three shutouts – tied for first in the League – in his last 10 starts. Overall in 2012-13, Rinne ranks seventh in goals-against average (2.10) and is 11th in save percentage (.919) among starting netminders, in addition to ranking third in time on ice (1,115:10) and being tied for seventh in wins (8).

Nashville ranks seventh in the league in team goals-against average (2.29). The Predators are third in the League in blocked shots (328), and have three players ranked among the League’s Top 30 in the category – Kevin Klein (42), Shea Weber (39) and Scott Hannan (38). Mike Fisher leads all NHL forwards in blocked shots with 28.

Nashville has posted the second-fewest penalty minutes per game in the League this season (10.1). The Predators led the League in the category in 2011-12 (8.4) and 2009-10 (8.7), and ranked second in 2010-11 (8.8).

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