Blues even series on Backes’ OT game-winner, beat Stars

DALLAS — Blues captain David Backes scored off a rebound during a power play 10:58 into overtime and St. Louis beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in Game 2 on Sunday to get even in the second-round series.

St. Louis was on its second power play of overtime after Antoine Roussel was called for interference.

Vladimir Tarasenko took a slap shot that defenseman Alex Goligoski blocked. But the Blues kept charging and Backes scored on the rebound of Alexander Steen’s shot.

The best-of-seven series matching the Western Conference’s top two teams switches to St. Louis for Game 3 on Tuesday night. Game 4 will also be there Thursday before the series returns to Dallas for Game 5 on Saturday.

Dallas forced overtime by erasing a two-goal deficit in the third period, when the Stars outshot St. Louis 13-2.

Antti Niemi had stopped 19 consecutive shots since relieving Kari Lehtonen after the first period until Backes scored.

SHARKS 3, PREDATORS 2

In San Jose, Calif., Joe Pavelski scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:40 left in regulation and Martin Jones stopped 37 shots to lead the Sharks to a victory over Nashville and a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Logan Couture added a power-play goal and Joe Thornton scored an empty-netter to put the Sharks in control as the series shifts to Nashville for Game 3 on Tuesday night. San Jose won the most road games in the NHL this season and all three in Los Angeles in the first round.

Mattias Ekholm tied the game earlier in the third and Ryan Johansen also scored for Nashville, but the Predators head home from California in much worse shape than they did in the first round when they won the first two games in Anaheim on the way to taking the series in seven games. Pekka Rinne made 22 saves.

After San Jose blew a one-goal lead earlier in the third, the top line delivered when it mattered most. Joe Thornton slid a cross-ice pass to Matt Nieto, whose initial shot was stopped by Rinne. But Pavelski batted the rebound in for his sixth goal of the playoffs to give the Sharks the lead.

Thornton scored an empty-net goal that proved crucial when Johansen scored with 3.6 seconds left for Nashville.

Rinne had helped keep Nashville in the game long enough to get the equalizer midway through the third.

With San Jose leading 1-0, Rinne robbed Nick Spaling with a pad save on a 2-on-1 with San Jose short-handed.