April 21, 2006

In his first playoff game in a Predators uniform, Paul Kariya made quick work of a number of franchise postseason records by assisting on each of Nashville’s four power play goals in a 4-3 victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks. The victory gave the Preds a 1-0 advantage in their 2006 Western Conference Quarterfinal series.

Adam Hall notched the game winner on a setup from Kariya and Kimmo Timonen at 12:06 of the third and Chris Mason stopped 31 shots for his first career playoff victory.

"The guy's a pressure player," Hall said of Kariya, who set all-time marks for playoff points and assists in the game. "He's one of the elite players in the league. He goes out there and he's a great skill player, but what people don't see is his intense work ethic. He deserves everything he's getting."

Though the Preds went on to fall in the series 4-1, Kariya was outstanding, accumulating seven points in the five games. He is the team’s all-time leader in postseason points as well, with nine in 10 games.

"I think it's been pretty apparent that he's a great playmaker, he can score, he can pretty much do everything," defenseman Shea Weber said of Kariya following the Game 1 win. "So it's no surprise that he had a night like he did tonight."