Let the battle commence. (Pregame news/links)
The teams spent about the first five minutes of play feeling each other out and the Sharks worked on getting the rust out (with bad passes and missed positions). Period ended 0-0.
Predators scored in the second on their second power play, leading 1-0 after 40 minutes.
The Sharks scored five straight, including two power play goals and two empty nets, in the third. Predators desperately scored one with goalie pulled. Hutton came in relief to play the last few seconds of the game.
(And as seen on TV: there was a black cat that ran across the ice before warm ups. Not mentioned/seen at game, so perhaps it happened before the doors opened?)
Final score: Sharks 5-2
News links
- Puck Daddy: 11 keys to the series
- Puck Daddy: Black cat in the building
- Puck Daddy recap
- Puck Daddy Stars of the Night: #1 Ward; HMs – Couture, Burns, Jones
- AP recap
- AP: Burns, Doughty, Karlsson named Norris finalists
- Reuters recap
- Rotoworld recap
- Sporting News: 3 stars of the night: #1 Couture
- Sporting News: Black cat on the ice before the game
- NBC: Black cat 🙂
- NBC recap (with highlights)
- USA Today: podcast looking at Sharks-Predators series
- NHL: Burns named Norris finalist
- Sharks: Sharks continue to write new story (preview)
- SJMN WTC: Burns named Norris finalist
- SJMN recap
- SJMN: Sharks fail to sell out game 1
First playoff game in franchise history that wasn’t a sell out - SJMN Purdy: Sharks looked rested
- SJMN: Burns is Norris finalist
- SJMN: Have the Sharks found their good luck charm?
- SJMN photo gallery
- Gackle: DeBoer’s blue line stacks up against Preds (preview)
- Gackle: Donskoi ignoring friendship with Rinne during playoffs
- Gackle recap
- Chronicle recap
- NY Daily News: Black cat, good luck charm?
- Tennesean: San Jose black cat
- Tennesean recap
- Tennesean photo gallery
- Tennesean: pundit analyzes game 1 loss
- Tennesean: Five take aways