April 13, 2026 — Luke Evangelista scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation, but the Nashville Predators couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 at Bridgestone Arena. The loss, combined with a Kings win in Seattle, officially eliminated Nashville from postseason contention.
San Jose broke a scoreless tie with a second-period power-play goal from Igor Chernyshov, then Macklin Celebrini extended the lead to 2-0 early in the third. Evangelista pulled Nashville within one at 15:39, but the Sharks answered with an empty-netter at 18:15. Evangelista struck again at 18:50 to make it a one-goal game, yet Nashville ran out of time. The Predators outshot the Sharks 27-23 and controlled possession at 53.6% but couldn’t solve Alex Nedeljkovic when it mattered most.
Goaltending
| Goalie | DEC | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SO | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justus Annunen | L | 2 | 22 | 20 | .909 | 0 | 58:08 |
| Alex Nedeljkovic | W | 2 | 27 | 25 | .926 | 0 | 59:53 |
Annunen made 20 saves on 22 shots before the empty-net goal rendered his final line moot. Nedeljkovic was the difference, turning aside 25 of 27 Nashville attempts to preserve the win for San Jose.
Special Teams and Possession
Nashville had no power play opportunities on the night, while San Jose converted their lone chance — Chernyshov’s second-period goal proving to be the opening score and ultimately the decisive swing. The Predators held a 53.6% Corsi share overall but couldn’t generate enough quality chances at even strength to overcome their slow start.
Point Scorers
| Player | G | A | PTS | +/- | SOG | Type | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Evangelista (NSH) | 2 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 3 | EV | 19:06 |
| Ryan Ufko (NSH) | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 2 | EV | 16:30 |
| Macklin Celebrini (SJS) | 2 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 2 | EV/GW | 19:34 |
| Igor Chernyshov (SJS) | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 3 | PP | 15:02 |
| Roman Josi (NSH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | EV | 25:48 |
| Nicklaus Perbix (NSH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 | EV | 16:15 |
| William Eklund (SJS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 | PP | 16:57 |
| Michael Misa (SJS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | PP | 10:58 |
| Will Smith (SJS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 2 | EV | 16:28 |
| Collin Graf (SJS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 1 | EV | 16:30 |
| Alexander Wennberg (SJS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | EV | 20:54 |
Evangelista’s late brace was a gutsy individual effort, but Nashville got no offensive support from the rest of the lineup. Ufko’s two-assist night from the blue line was a bright spot, while Celebrini’s two-goal, game-winning performance carried San Jose.
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