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Preds hope to stay hot versus Sharks

Jan 8, 2011 - 3:55 PM (Sports Network) - The Nashville Predators aim to continue their recent hot play and extend the San Jose Sharks' recent struggles by another game tonight when the two clubs get together at HP Pavilion.

The Predators have ripped of four straight victories since a five-game slide, outscoring their opponents, 17-5, in that span. Pekka Rinne backstopped Nashville to a victory in the first three games, making 41 saves on Wednesday in Anaheim, before Andres Lindback posted 24 stops in a 5-2 victory at Los Angeles on Thursday in his first start since Dec. 22.

Patric Hornqvist scored two of Nashville's five unanswered goals in the game, giving him a tally in four straight games with five goals in that span. Colin Wilson and Sergei Kostitsyn both finished with a goal and two assists.

"I thought after we scored that [first] goal we were really good," Nashville head coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought we recovered really well, we showed a lot of character and stayed with the game plan all night."

Nashville picked up its third straight road win and ends a three-game road trip this evening. The second-place club is nine points behind Detroit for first place in the Central Division.

While Nashville has been rolling, San Jose stumbled to its second straight loss and fourth in six games with Thursday's 3-0 setback to Buffalo. The Sharks were shut out for the third time at home this season and sixth time overall.

"We give up the first [goal] because we're soft, the second one because we cheat, and the third one -- we must have spent 10 or 15 minutes in practice on that exact play and it comes back to bite us. So that sums up the game," a frustrated coach Todd McLellan said of his Sharks.

Antero Niittymaki made 19 saves and Dany Heatley unleashed a club single-game record 11 shots on net. Devin Setoguchi had held the previous mark of 10 set versus the Predators on Nov. 11, 2008.

San Jose is now six points behind first-place Dallas in the Pacific Division and will try to avoid posting a winless three-game homestand this evening.

The Sharks will do so against a Predators club that beat them, 3-2, in Nashville on Dec. 15 for just its fourth victory in the last 13 meetings. The Preds have lost three straight and five of the last played in San Jose.

Wilson had the game-winner with 2:32 left to play and Lindback made 25 saves. Rinne, who missed that meeting with a knee injury, should get the start tonight and is 2-1-1 with a 2.89 goals-against average in his career against the Sharks.

Antti Niemi made 32 saves in the loss for the Sharks, falling to 1-1-0 with a 3.56 GAA vs the Predators. Niittymaki is 0-1-1 with a 3.84 GAA when facing them.