Thursday night is about chasing history for the Nashville Predators.

When it hosts the San Jose Sharks in Bridgestone Arena [url=http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/zack-martin-jersey]Zack Martin Cowboys Jersey[/url] , Nashville can break the franchise’s single-season record for points with a victory. Currently sitting at 109 points with a 49-16-11 mark, the Predators can also move a step closer to home-ice advantage for the Stanley Cup playoffs by picking up two points.

Probably of more importance to the players and coach Peter Laviolette, however, is maintaining the level of play they displayed Tuesday night in a 2-1 shootout win over Minnesota. After allowing 13 goals in the previous three games — all losses — Nashville limited the Wild to 23 shots and controlled most of the game.

“It was a good step in the right direction to getting back to the way we need to play as we approach the playoffs,” Laviolette said. “I thought our guys just did a really good job of locking down tonight, especially early on in the game.”

Three points ahead of Tampa Bay for the NHL’s best record [url=http://www.texanscheapshop.com]Texans Cheap Jerseys[/url] , the Predators also lead surging Winnipeg by five points in the Central Division with six games remaining. While they reached the Stanley Cup Finals last spring, the franchise has never captured a division title in its 20-year history.

Laviolette and his team identified their last 12 division games as being particularly critical to achieving a division title. The victory over Minnesota enabled Nashville to go 9-2-1 in that stretch, no small feat since there’s a decent chance the division will send five teams to the Western Conference playoffs.

“We always mark these games against Central Division opponents,” captain Roman Josi said. “They’re always big games in our division. It’s such a tough division and there are so many good teams, so we always make sure we’re ready for those games. It’s obviously good for us to have that record.”

While the Predators are running down history, San Jose (44-23-10) is still trying to catch Vegas in the Pacific Division. Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime loss in St. Louis gave the Sharks a point [url=http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-nate-solder-jersey]Nate Solder Color Rush Jersey[/url] , but a second one would have helped that long-shot bid.

Despite the outcome, San Jose coach Peter DeBoer wasn’t entirely upset with his team’s performance.

“It was our fifth game in eight days,” he said. “I thought we had a lot of factors going, but I thought the guys dug deep and got a valuable point.”

The Sharks trail the Golden Knights by five points with five games left, and must try for a win in perhaps their biggest jinx building in the league. Dating to the strike-shortened 2013 season, they have won just once in their last 11 visits to Bridgestone.

That includes a 7-1 blowout on Feb. 22 [url=http://www.losangelesdodgersteamshop.com/authentic-mark-lowe-jersey]Mark Lowe Jersey[/url] , when Nashville scored four third-period goals and presented Pekka Rinne with his 300th career win in goal. San Jose gave up a whopping 46 shots on net that night, and goalie Martin Jones was pulled after allowing six markers.

Jones (29-18-6, 2.45 goals-against average, .918 save percentage) should be back in net Thursday night after Aaron Dell played in St. Louis. Rinne (41-11-4, 2.25, .929) figures to get the call for the Predators.

NBA great Ray Allen tells the "AP Sports Weekly" podcast that the players who step up to take the big shots in the playoffs do so because they refuse to be overwhelmed by the moment.

Allen propelled Miami to an NBA title in 2013 with a 3-pointer in Game 6 of the Finals against San Antonio that is regarded as one of the greatest clutch shots ever. He says hard work and experience is why some players want the ball at the biggest moments.

"Those great players in the league will do that consistently [url=http://www.cincinnatibengalsteamonline.com/john-ross-jersey]Authentic John Ross Jersey[/url] ," Allen told podcast co-hosts Jim Litke and Tim Dahlberg. "They continue to do their jobs and don't let the circumstances get the better of them."

Allen also talks about his new autobiography "From the Outside: My Journey through Life and the Game I Love" and gives his opinion of the playoffs so far. Also joining Litke and Dahlberg is football guru Ross Tucker, who talks about the NFL draft and who he thinks will be the first quarterback selected.

NCAA chief Mark Emmert talks to the AP's Ralph Russo about the upcoming Rice commission report released this week, while the co-hosts debate the state of college athletics under Emmert.

Tucker returns to talk press box food (think bratwurst in Green Bay) and his belief that the better teams serve the media better meals.


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