SAN JOSE — It’ll be a moment that San Jose Sharks center Patrick Giles will remember forever.
Goalie Alexandar Georgiev, though, had a moment he might want to forget as soon as possible.
Giles scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday, starting a third-period comeback that saw the Sharks score twice in 14 seconds to tie their game with the Nashville Predators.
But a Sharks giveaway right next to their net resulted in a Kieffer Bellows goal that gave the Predators the lead for good, as the Sharks were dealt a 3-2 loss before an announced crowd of 10,523 at SAP Center.
On the game-deciding play, Georgiev played the puck beside his net but lost control as he tried to get it to defenseman Mario Ferraro. Instead, Filip Forsberg came in, stole the puck, and got it out front to Bellows, who scored his first of the season.
“Just miscommunication,” Georgiev said. “I thought I was just leaving the puck for (Ferraro) to come by the net, and it turned out that he wanted me to put it in the corner. And by the time I realized that, I tried to put it — I’m not sure if they interrupted or what — but just a quick play in front of the net then, and they got the bounce and the goal. It happens.”
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said the miscommunication was inexcusable, as his team lost its 22nd one-goal game of the season.
“I love our group in there, and I think we have competitors,” Warsofsky said. “If we compete and do things the right way, we can win hockey games. We’ve shown that. Let’s go out and do it.
“We got simple and put books behind them. But, one mistake costs us the game.
Georgiev allowed three goals on the first 18 shots he faced, as the Sharks lost their third straight game and fell to 0-2-0 on their eight-game homestand that continues Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Georgiev has had to shoulder the load for the Sharks since they traded Vitek Vanecek to the Florida Panthers on March 5. Without an experienced backup, Tuesday’s game marked Georgiev’s fifth start in nine days.
“It’s not the first time,” Georgiev said. “Just trying to mentally be sharp, and try to put us in good positions every night. Today was probably not a big workload in terms of the shot volume after the first period, we played so well. So, physically not a tough game today.”
The Bellows goal spoiled a feel-good night for Giles, acquired from the Panthers last week in the trade that sent Nico Sturm to Florida.
Giles’ goal at the 3:42 mark of the third period, came after a nice forecheck from the Sharks’ fourth line, with Barclay Goodrow and Carl Grundstrom collecting the assists.
The goal, and point, was Giles’ first in the NHL in 11 career games.
The Sharks were down 2-0 after they allowed second period power play goals to Filip Forberg and Steven Stamkos,
With Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro serving a tripping penalty, Forsberg, with a perfect snipe over goalie Alexandar Georgiev’s left shoulder, scored at the 8:11 mark of the second. Just 7:06 later, with Goodrow also in the penalty box for tripping, Stamkos beat Georgiev with a shot from near the faceoff dot for a 2-0 Nashville lead.
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