Sharks 2, Predators 0: Antti Niemi posted his 29th career shutout while Joe Thornton recorded a goal and an assist as San Jose extended its home winning streak to six games.

Tomas Hertl also scored for the Sharks, who improved to 3-0-0 on their five-game homestand. Niemi turned aside 29 shots en route to his second blanking of 2014-15 and first since the season opener at Los Angeles.

Pekka Rinne finished with 32 saves for the Predators, who completed a 2-1-0 road trip. The 32-year-old Finn made 17 of his stops in the first period as he made his 10th consecutive start.

The clock ticked a second over five minutes before San Jose managed to seize a lead as Joe Pavelski received a pass from Thornton and unleashed a shot from the right faceoff circle that hit the left post. Hertl pounced on the puck at the doorstep and was denied on his first attempt before tapping the rebound past Rinne.

Niemi made the goal stand, stopping seven shots in the opening period and four in the second. The 31-year-old Finn was his busiest in the third, turning aside 18 pucks, and Thornton sealed the win with an empty-net tally at 18:26.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Niemi made his first start since Dec. 6 as he had been relegated to backup duty after being hit by a puck during practice earlier in the week. ... San Jose D Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup and blocked five shots in 21:50 of ice time after missing the previous game with an upper-body injury. ... Thornton raised his career point total to 1,222, putting him seven away from tying Norm Ullman for 38th place on the all-time list.