San Jose pulls away in third to win team-best 9th straight road game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Steve Bernier helped the San Jose Sharks set a team record.

Bernier had a goal and two assists in the Sharks' 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators 5-2 Saturday night, winning a franchise-record ninth straight road game.

Joe Thornton and Milan Michalek each had two assists for San Jose, and Marcel Goc, Craig Rivet, Matthew Carle and Torrey Mitchell also scored for the Sharks. J.P. Dumont and Alexander Radulov scored for the Predators.

"We have had to be really patient on the road," said Goc. "When we are patient we don't have the breakdowns. The Predators scored two quick goals on us, but that happens. We kept with our game plan and it is working."

Klein gave the Predators a 2-1 lead 6:31 into the second period. Out in the open a few feet inside the blue line, he tapped his stick on the ice calling for the pass from Greg Zanon. Kevin Klein then shot a one-timer that was tipped over the left shoulder of Evgeni Nabokov by Radulov.

San Jose tied the game at 12:04 on Rivet's goal, on a slap shot just inside the blue line.

"We're not putting up the offensive production we have had in the past, but at the same time our goals against average is one of the best in the National Hockey League," said Rivet. "We take pride in playing defense first on this team."

Four minutes into the third period, the Sharks pulled ahead 3-2 on Carle's power-play goal. Mitchell scored at the 8:25 mark and Bernier sealed it for the Sharks with 5:44 left to play.

"I didn't think we got the goaltending that you need in the third period," Trotz said. "But we can also blame everyone for every loss. Everybody has to contribute. That is an area that has to be more consistent."

In an effort to send a wake-up call, coach Barry Trotz sat Vernon Fiddler, usually one of the most hard-working players on the team, as a healthy scratch. Trotz thought Fiddler had been slipping in the last couple of games.

"From our standpoint, all we ask is for everyone to just do your job and do it to your capabilities. There are areas of the game where our guys aren't playing up to their capabilities."

Game notes
Nashville's Radek Bonk has at least one assist in each of his last four games. ... Nashville's David Legwand left the game with an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. He had points in his last four games. ... The home team had won 12 of the last 13 games in the series during the regular season, before Saturday night's game.