Pekka Rinne earns 300th NHL victory in Predators' rout of Sharks

Hockey players are an in-the-moment bunch. But every so often, even if only for a little bit, the Predators will allow themselves to step back and appreciate their potential.

Their 7-1 thrashing of the San Jose Sharks on Thursday was a pretty good representation of what opponents have to fear as the playoffs near.

"We really showed what kind of damage this team can do when everyone's playing like this," Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "It could be a fun stretch."

Here are three observations from Thursday's victory:

Rinne's milestone win

Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne's standout season put him in position to reach a milestone Thursday.

His victory against the Sharks was the 300th of his NHL career, making him the 34th goaltender in league history to achieve that mark and seventh among active players.

Rinne was spotless Thursday with the exception of an unfortunate goal. Sharks forward Logan Couture flung a backhand from below the goal line that found the tiniest sliver of space as Rinne hugged the post.

Rinne's win was his 12th in 15 starts during the 2018 portion of the Predators' schedule. He has a 2.04 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in those appearances.

Highway to the 'high-danger' zone

There lately has been noticeable increase in the number of goals that the Predators have scored from within what they call the "Zone 1" area.

Through the end of January, Nashville rated among the NHL's worst teams at scoring "high-danger" goals, according to naturalstattrick.com. But the Predators lead the league in that category this month, as first demonstrated by center Nick Bonino's wraparound goal in the first period.

Scott Hartnell, the beneficiary of Bonino's skimming pass later in the period, also scored on the doorstep. Viktor Arvidsson's fourth goal in three games on a rebound, Ryan Johansen's goal from the slot and Ekholm's top-shelf goal — all scored in the third period — qualify as well.

Defensemen drive the Predators' offense, which originates from the points as a result. The forwards, however, have done their part to generate goals from high-percentage areas when opportunities arise.

Fiala's freaky goal

Predators forward Kevin Fiala's second-period goal, his 19th this season, was both impressive and strange.

After poking the puck away from Sharks defenseman Brendon Dillon at the left point, Fiala bolted up ice on an odd-man rush with forward Craig Smith. With no passing lane available, Fiala lost control of the puck as he attempted to juke Dell, but the miscue still slipped through the goaltender's legs.

Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tenenssean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.