In the longest game of the playoffs so far, the winning factor was capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Whenever the Predators had a true chance at scoring, they were usually able to do so. All four of their goals came from being in the right position to collect a goal on a rebound given up by Martin Jones. The Sharks goals came from skill, but the Predators had the better puck luck.

Martin Jones will have to fix that problem if he wants to remain in the playoffs. You can’t continually give up rebounds and expect your teammates to collect all of them. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like Jones’s teammates collected any.

In a long game, the amount of shots was not overwhelming, which means that for the most part, the defenses on the collective teams did their job. Brett Burns scored two of the Sharks’ goals, while Mike Fisher did the same for the Predators. Sadly for the Sharks, that included the GWG.

The truest chance for the Sharks in overtime came on a controversial play for Joe Pavelski, as he collided with Pekka Rinne after using his hand to return the puck to the ice, and getting his stick to push the puck into the net. There are many reasons this goal is controversial, but I believe the refs called the no goal correctly. Reason 1 – Pavelski may have been pushed into Rinne by the Predators D. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a replay which shows this, and if I didn’t, the refs certainly didn’t. Reason 2 – did Pavelski’s stick actually touch the puck before it was past the line? From what I’ve seen, it looked like the puck was half-way across by the time Pavs got to it. Reason 3 – was it a hand pass? I’ve always believed this rule to mean did he close his hand on the puck. He didn’t. In my opinion, the goal wasn’t a goal because of his continued contact with Rinne. Had he flung himself off of the netminder while scoring the goal, it would be a different story, but from different viewpoints it looks like the collision knocked Pekka entirely out of the play.

The Power Play continues to be a battle, as neither side has found much success, but when they have that’s usually a sign of who wins. Out of ten chances last night, only the Sharks scored once. It turns out that goal – one that put them up 3-2 – would be their last for the game. They would go a full game (3 overtime periods) without scoring another. They will be back in their own house next game, and they will come out on the hunt. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an onslaught from the Sharks offensively in the first period which eventually dissolves into a defensive-based strategy to counter the Predators.