Predators ride Shea Weber blast, strong third to Game 3 win

Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber came back from an early slip up to hammer the game-winning goal in his team’s 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 3 of their series.

Weber also finished with one assist in 24:02 of action.

This brought the series to 2-1 in favor of the Sharks with Game 4 on Thursday in Nashville.

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At the 13:13 mark of the first period, Weber was beat by Sharks forward Patrick Marleau for a goal that put San Jose up 1-0 .

Then Nashville started to chip away, first on a tough-angle James Neal one-timer that knotted the score at 1-1 at the 5:11 mark of the second period, and then off Weber’s blast that was wired for the top corner past Sharks goaltender Martin Jones.

"The biggest thing that can come might be frustration or mental block," Weber said. "I think we made a good point to talk about it this morning and it’s going to come, we’ve just got to keep doing the right things, getting men to the front of the net and it’s going to find a way in."

In the third periods of games this series, the Sharks were the better team, scoring seven total goals. In Game 3, the Predators were the aggressors.

Colin Wilson scored his third goal of the playoffs to make it 3-1 at the 6:55 mark of the frame. Filip Forsberg then scored his first goal since Game 1 of the postseason to put the score at its final mark.

The Predators kept the Sharks off the power play scoresheet for the first time this series. Coming into the game, San Jose was 3-for-5 with the man-advantage in the first two games. Also, the Predators figured out a way to crack goaltender Martin Jones who had his worst postseason performance, stopping 21 of 25 shots on goal.

"Our guys have played hard. The only game that we look back on where we say that we weren’t on our toes and ready to jump was game three in the first round, and that happens sometimes. You just don’t have the stuff," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "Game One we had it, and it was a tough break with the power play goal that they scored. Their building kind of took over from there. Game Two, I liked the way we played, and Game Three, I liked the way we played. I think our guys are playing pretty good hockey right now."

Was this just a blip for San Jose or was the game symptomatic of a playoff swoon? This was the Sharks’ first regulation loss in the playoffs, and hence also their first defeat by more than a goal.

The line of Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl were held without a point in Game 3.

"We expect a battle every night. You just compete and they did that, and they’ve done that the first couple of games too," Pavelski said. "It’s no different, it’s a good team over there, it really is. We’ll be better in a few areas, and it’s going to be another tough game."

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