Nashville @ San Jose preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 8, 2019 ) San Jose 2, Nashville 5

The Nashville Predators are more than willing to move on from their last performance, and for good reason considering the traditionally defensive-minded team was gouged for a franchise-record nine goals. The Predators look to tighten up defensively on Saturday when they visit the San Jose Sharks.

"I feel like we lost every battle. We didn't compete. I mean, we got embarrassed out there," Nashville captain Roman Josi said following Thursday's 9-4 shellacking by Colorado. The 29-year-old Josi, who has four assists during his three-game point streak, tallied twice for his 10th career two-goal performance as the Predators skated to a 5-2 victory over San Jose on Oct. 8. Tomas Hertl matched his team by struggling to find his footing to begin the season, but the Sharks forward has turned it on with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his last 12 contests -- including five in back-to-back victories this week. "We've just got to keep going," the 25-year-old Hertl said after San Jose's 6-5 win over Minnesota on Thursday. "We've got two more home games and we've got to keep rolling because we need every point."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Tennessee (Nashville), NBCS California (San Jose)

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (9-5-2): Filip Forsberg joined Josi in extending his point streak to three games (two goals, two assists) after scoring in his second consecutive contest on Thursday. The 25-year-old Swede appears to have regained the scoring touch that he exhibited during his season-opening six-game point streak (five goals, three assists), with a goal versus San Jose included in that stretch. Pekka Rinne made 33 saves in that meeting with the Sharks, but the former Vezina Trophy recipient hasn't looked like himself of late after surrendering 12 goals on 73 shots in his last two games.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (6-10-1): Captain Logan Couture scored 52 seconds into Thursday's tilt to snap a 13-game goal drought that matched the longest of his NHL career (April 4, 2015-Jan. 9, 2016). Couture also set up a first-period goal by Marcus Sorensen and power-play tallies in the second by both Hertl and Evander Kane, who has a career-high seven goals with the man advantage. "It's the first time that I've gotten a real look on the first unit. And I'm playing with (four) great players. I just want to take advantage of it," said the 28-year-old Kane, who has three goals and two assists during his four-game point streak.

OVERTIME

1. Nashville D Ryan Ellis notched one of his team-leading 13 assists in the first meeting with San Jose.

2. The Sharks are attempting to match a season-high three-game winning streak, which they accomplished from Oct. 10-16.

3. The NHL announced on Friday that the Predators will square off against Boston to begin the 2020-21 season at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.

PREDICTION: Predators 3, Sharks 2