NHL - Playoffs - Nashville Predators @ San Jose Sharks 2-5 - Friday, April 29, 2016 - Game 1

The San Jose Sharks scored five times in the third period to come from behind to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-2 in Game 1 of their Western Conference Second Round series at SAP Center on Friday. Logan Couture scored two goals, Tomas Hertl, Joel Ward and Tommy Wingels each had one, and Martin Jones made 29 saves for the Sharks. Game 2 is in San Jose on Sunday.
Mike Fisher gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 4:33 of the second period with a power-play goal. He took a cross-ice pass in the left circle from Ryan Johansen and beat Jones high over his blocker. The Sharks pulled even at 2:37 of the third period when Hertl scored with 14 seconds left on their second power play. He took a pass from Ward just to the right of the crease and beat goalie Pekka Rinne with a low shot to the short side.
Ward, who played for Nashville from 2008-11, put San Jose ahead at 11:49 of the third with his first goal of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After a Nashville turnover in the neutral zone, Joonas Donskoi sent a pass ahead to Ward, who skated below the goal line, brought the puck back and jammed it past Rinne inside the right post. Couture made it 3-1 at 15:40 with a power-play goal. Joe Pavelski hit Couture in the low slot with a pass from along the left boards, and Couture knocked the puck past Rinne.

Nashville's Ryan Johansen scored with 1:49 left and Rinne pulled for the extra attacker to cut San Jose's lead to 3-2. Couture scored into an empty net with 1:29 remaining, and Wingels scored a second empty-net goal for the Sharks with 49.2 seconds left.
The Predators were 1-for-26 on the power play in their first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, which they won in seven games. They came up empty on their first power play Friday before Fisher's second-period goal. It was Fisher's second goal of the playoffs and Nashville's first on the power play since Shea Weber scored in Game 1 against the Ducks.
The Predators were without injured second-line right wing Craig Smith (lower body), who missed the morning skate and did not take the ice for warmups. Smith left Game 3 against the Ducks early in the first period, then missed the next two games before returning for Games 6 and 7. The Predators lost Games 3, 4 and 5, then won the final two.
Eric Nystrom started in Smith's place in his NHL playoff debut. He skated on the fourth line, and Miikka Salomaki moved to the second line. Filip Forsberg dropped from the first line to the second, trading places with Calle Jarnkrok.