Early in the season, the Sharks are trying to establish their identity and figure out what kind of hockey club they're going to be this season. Wrapping up a 5-game road trip, the Sharks sputtered, dropping a second consecutive game in a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Tennessee on Tuesday night. San Jose fell behind early and couldn't find the spark required to beat the Predators.

They also ran into a team that believes they've underachieved early in their season. Dropping 4 of their first 6 games, the Predators had more motivation than San Jose. They Played a better all around game all night, making the Sharks look like the team everyone predicted would falter in pre-season prognostications.

The Sharks were late to the party as former Predators forward Nick Bonino took a tripping penalty 61 seconds in to the contest. Nashville converted 19 seconds into the power play when Matt Duchene carried the puck across the blueline and snapped a snot from the high slot. Sharks goaltender James Reimer flat out missed the long unscreened shot.

San Jose a tough time maintaining any sustained pressure in the Predators zone. Chalk up the last game of a 5-game road trip to the late arrival.

Duchene was whistled for hooking Tomas Hertl with 3 minutes left in the period. The Sharks had trouble maintaining any momentum on the man advantage after two different players broke their sticks.

The teams traded 9 shots each in the period, but it was Nashville that took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Tanner Jeannot opened the 2nd period by clipping Timo Meier with a high stick to put the Sharks back on the power play. San Jose did little with the man advantage. They did even less 5 minutes later after Alexandre Carrier was whistled for interference on Hertl. All the positives on the power play the Sharks brought to start the season went by the wayside.

The absence of any offense would catch up to the Sharks when Filip Forsberg converted his 3rd goal of the season 12:31 into the middle frame. The Predators moved the puck to Roman Josi on the left side, allowing Forsberg to skate to the slot where he gathered a pass before whipping a shot that beat Reimer just under the glove on the right side of the net. Defenseman Brent Burns was tracking Forsberg, but the Predators forward was able to separate enough to make the play.

Timo Meier gave his team a glimmer of hope when he halved the Predators lead with his 4th goal of the season at the 11:54 mark. The Sharks forward scooped up a rebound off a Jonathan Dahlen shot and took a pair of hacks at the puck to push it past Juuse Saros. Dahlen fought off a pair of defenders to pull the puck out of a scrum in the slot and pump a shot off Saros.

Reimer kept the Sharks hopes alive when he stoned Filip Tomasino on a breakaway chance with 3:50 left in regulation, but the Sharks couldn't pot the equalizer.

Nashville put the game out of reach with an empty netter when Mikael Grandlund threw the puck the length of the ice and off the right post and into the goal.

San Jose returns home after spending 9 days on the road, and will face the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has struggled this season, losing to the Sharks 5-0 on October 19th.

Game Notes:

* Andrew Cogliano left the game midway through the 2nd period after taking an elbow from Alexandre Carrier on a check along the boards. The Sharks forward absorbed a shot well before the puck arrived on a pass, but no penalty was called. Cogliano skated off on his own and would return later in the period.

* Timo Meier, Logan Couture and Jonathan Dahlen all extended their point scoring streaks to 6-games.

* Nick Bonino made his first appearance at Bridgestone Arena since being traded before the start of last season. Bonino played 219 games over three seasons for Nashville.

* Dahlen led the Sharks with 5 shots on goal. The rookie has justified his ice time this season, but being one of the most consistent players on offense this season. Dahlen is second in shots for San Jose with 18.

* William Eklund was benched at the end of the 2nd period. He would emerge on the 4th line in the 3rd period, skating alongside Alexander Barabanov and Kevin Labanc.