Sharks lose Cheechoo and lead, but beat Preds in double OT

Patrick Rissmiller scored at 8:14 of the second overtime and lifted the Sharks to a 5-4 victory over Nashville in the opening game of their Western Conference first-round matchup Wednesday night.

The Sharks could be without top goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo for the postseason after a knee-on-knee collision knocked him out of the game. They also blew a two-goal lead in the third period but had enough to escape with a victory.

?We?ll feel good about having survived a blown lead and winning in overtime,? San Jose coach Ron Wilson said.

?It?s going to be a long series. It?s unfortunate that two teams that both have 50 wins have to meet each other in a series like this in the first round. It?s almost unfair that a great team is going to go down.?

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Nashville.

In other Western Conference openers Wednesday, Anaheim edged Minnesota 2-1, and Vancouver outlasted Dallas 5-4 in four overtimes. The remaining series begins Thursday when Calgary visits top-seeded Detroit.

Cheechoo was due to have an MRI to determine the extent of the damage to his right knee. He also lost a tooth, and Wilson wasn?t happy at what he called an intent to injure by Predators forward Scott Hartnell. The Predators forward was tossed from the game nine minutes into the second.

Nashville coach Barry Trotz defended Hartnell?s actions in the collision, saying he studied a replay and didn?t see Hartnell stick a knee out.

?It?s unfortunate when anybody gets hurt in the game. But looking at it, I thought it was a pretty clean hit. I mean they did collide knee on knee. But there was no sticking out of the knee,? Trotz said.

Craig Rivet scored on a 5-on-3 and had an assist. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau each had two assists, including Marleau?s crisp pass to Rissmiller for the game-winning goal.

?I just saw Patty with it, and I knew that if I was going to the net he would either shoot it or pass to me,? said Rissmiller, who had seven goals in the regular season. ?It was a good pass, and when you have speed going at their D, it?s tough to defend.?

Matthew Carle, Mike Grier and Milan Michalek scored a goal each for San Jose, which has won five straight playoff games against Nashville after taking the final four in the first round last year.

The Predators, who stood atop the NHL until March 29 before slipping to the West?s No. 4 seed, scored twice in the final 6:55 of regulation to force the first overtime in the franchise?s short postseason history.

Alexander Radulov scored his second goal, then J.P. Dumont scored his second of the game with 50.4 seconds remaining in regulation, tipping a slap shot from Shea Weber past Evgeni Nabokov?s glove.

Weber had two assists for a team that went 4-15-1 in the regular season when trailing after two.

Nabokov stopped 17 shots in overtime, including Jordin Tootoo on a breakaway to keep the Sharks in the game.

?We were the lucky ones to come out with the victory,? Rivet said.