The San Jose Sharks got off to a spirited start Saturday, but it did not take long for the defending Cup champion Panthers to flex their muscles. The Panthers tied a season-high with seven goals — fou

Sharks starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev, in a shaky performance, was pulled at the 3:01 mark of the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Yaroslav Askarov came on in relief and but did not fare much better, as he allowed three goals on 16 shots.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Today, like every day, Last Word on Hockey looks at the games happening and gives our predictions for each. We’ll also break down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play a part.

Kostin has a lower-body injury and has not played since Jan. 10, when the Sharks faced the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City. Sturm, also out with a lower-body injury, was played on injured reserve on Wednesday, the same day the Sharks claimed forward Walker Duehr off of waivers from the Calgary Flames.

The Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks face off in a non-conference matchup on Monday, Jan. 20.

The Nashville Predators (17-22-7) hit the ice against the San Jose Sharks (14-30-6) in NHL play on Thursday, starting at 10:30 PM ET at SAP Center at San Jose and broadcast on ESPN+. The Predators rank 14th while the Sharks are 16th in the Western Conference.

For the second time this week, the Florida Panthers are in California preparing to kick off a back-to-back set. The Cats have traveled north and will face the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday night.