NHL - Playoffs - San Jose Sharks @ Nashville Predators 1-4 - Tuesday, May 03, 2016 - Game 3

The Nashville Predators got four unanswered goals, including two on the power play from James Neal and Filip Forsberg, to defeat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 in Game 3 of their Western Conference Second Round series at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday. San Jose leads the best-of-7 series 2-1 with Game 4 here on Thursday. Neal tied the game 1-1 at 5:11 of the second period. Defensman Mattias Ekholm delivered the pass to Neal, who was able to one-time the puck past Sharks goaltender Martin Jones from the right circle.
Shea Weber gave Nashville a 2-1 lead at 14:44 of the second on a slap shot from the high slot. Forsberg had the puck poke-checked away from him and it went right to Weber, who one-timed it past Jones. Colin Wilson and Forsberg each scored in the third period. Wilson made it 3-1 at 6:55 on a wrist shot from below the right circle. Defenseman Ryan Ellis took the original shot, and Wilson was able to get the rebound and shoot it past Jones.
Forsberg made it 4-1 at 15:49 on a wrist shot from the right circle. Forsberg created space with the puck and beat Jones over the left shoulder. The Predators had scored two power-play goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs heading into Game 3. They matched that total Tuesday and were happy with how they moved the puck.
Patrick Marleau gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 13:13 of the first period on a breakaway. Marleau split the Predators defense and beat goaltender Pekka Rinne, who made 26 saves, to the loose puck. Marleau was able to skate around Rinne and shoot the puck into an empty net.
Predators center Mike Ribeiro was a healthy scratch in Game 3. Rookie forward Pontus Aberg made his NHL debut, and forward Craig Smith played with Forsberg and center Ryan Johansen. Smith missed morning skate Tuesday. The Sharks dropped to 6-2 and lost their first road game in this year's playoffs.

Sharks Bites

Patrick Marleau: “Yeah I just kicked it up and kept skating. I was able to get up back up the on the ice and get around Rinne. It felt good.”
Joe Pavelski: “We expect a battle every night. You just compete, and they did that and they’ve done that the first couple of games too. 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.”

Other Results

Tampa Bay @ NY Islanders 5-4 OT - Bolts Lead Series 2-1
Brian Boyle scored 2:48 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 5-4 win against the New York Islanders in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Barclays Center on Tuesday. The Lightning, who trailed by one goal three times and tied the game in the final minute, took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 is here Friday. Boyle took the puck into the zone passed back to Ryan Callahan, who passed to Victor Hedman. Hedman's shot went wide, but the rebound came right to Boyle at the side of the net, and he put the puck over outstretched goalie Thomas Greiss. The play was reviewed and it was ruled Boyle did not enter the zone offside. Tampa Bay tied the game 4-4 with 38.4 seconds left in the third period on a goal by Nikita Kucherov, who took a pass from Jonathan Drouin and beat Greiss. It was Kucherov's seventh goal, which leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Drouin left in the second period after a hit by New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey but returned midway through the third. Hickey's shoulder appeared to hit Drouin in the face, snapping his head backward at 5:42. Hickey was not given a penalty on the play, and Drouin's teammates were surprised the wing returned. Cal Clutterbuck put New York ahead 4-3 with 8:37 to go in the third period with his second goal of the postseason, from the right circle after getting the puck from Casey Cizikas, who kicked it to him. Clutterbuck shot over Bishop's left shoulder for the Islanders' third one-goal lead. Islanders forward Josh Bailey, who missed the first two games of the series with an upper-body injury, made it 1-0 at 12:05 of the first period off a pass from Nikolay Kulemin. It was Bailey's first goal in 22 games, he last scored March 14, and his third playoff goal in 20 games. The Lightning appeared to tie the game 1-1 at 13:32. Boyle scored but it was waved off because of a high stick. The play was reviewed and the call on the ice was upheld. Tampa Bay did tie the game 1-1 on its second power play when Cizikas was called for tripping at 18:27 of the first. Ryan Callahan tipped a shot by Alex Killorn past Greiss with 13 seconds left. The Islanders outshot the Lightning 17-9 in the first period but scored once. The Islanders, who won Game 1, outshot the Lightning 39-38. Hedman gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead 8:10 into the second period with a slap shot from the slot. Tyler Johnson won the faceoff back to the defenseman, who one-timed it past Greiss. Hedman had a goal and two assists. Nick Leddy's first goal of the playoffs tied the game 2-2. He took a slap shot from the left circle at 14:50. Bailey scored a power-play goal 2:27 into the third period to make it 3-2. It was his first two-goal game since Feb 14, 2015. Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Lightning 58 seconds later to tie the game 3-3. Bishop was pulled for an extra attacker with more than two minutes remaining.