DALLAS - St. Louis did more than survive a Game 7 this time. The Blues dominated to advance to their first Western Conference finals since 2001.

Linemates Robby Fabbri, Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer each scored a goal and assisted on each other's tallies, as the Blues beat the Dallas Stars 6-1 on Wednesday night.

The Blues, in the playoffs for the 40th time and still in search of their first Stanley Cup, will have home-ice advantage in the Western Conference finals against Nashville or San Jose - and for the Stanley Cup as well if they advance. The Predators and Sharks play the deciding Game 7 on Thursday night.

David Backes, their captain, and Patrik Berglund also had goals for the Blues, who won their third road game in this series. Vladimir Tarasenko added an empty-netter with 4:40 left.

Patrick Eaves had the lone goal for Dallas, which matched its most lopsided playoff loss. The Stars also lost 6-1 in Game 3 of this series.

It was the fourth straight game in the series, and fifth overall, won by the visiting team, and a lopsided finish to a second-round series matching the Western Conference's top two teams in the regular season. The Blues were only two points behind Dallas in the regular-season standings for the top seed.

Brian Elliott was back in goal for the Blues and had 31 saves. He had been pulled late in the first period of Game 6 after giving up three goals in seven shots - and Dallas held on to win that 3-2 to set up their first Game 7 at home since 2000, and first in the American Airlines Center.

St. Louis also needed seven games to win its first-round series this postseason, beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Brouwer's winning goal in the Game 7 clincher at home.

In this Game 7, the Blues were in firm control after the first period, even after having a goal taken off the board because of a replay challenge by Dallas.

The Blues were ahead to stay when rookie Fabbri scored on a power play 5:23 into the game with a backhander after Kari Lehtonen was unable to control a loose puck in front.

Tarasenko took a shot from in front of the left circle that somehow got behind Lehtonen into the net with about 2 minutes left in the first period that appeared to make it 2-0. But replay showed that Tarasenko was just offside before the puck got in the zone, and officials wiped off the goal.

St. Louis responded with two goals in the final 1:38 of the period: Stastny first and then Berglund on a shot from just inside the blue line with only 3.4 seconds left before the intermission.

Stars coach Lindy Ruff has used two goalies all season, and Lehtonen was replaced after allowing three goals in eight shots. Antti Niemi took over in the second period, when Backes and Brouwer scored, but stopped the other eight shots he faced.

NOTES: St. Louis is 5-2 on the road this postseason. ... Ruff is 0-4 in Game 7s as a coach. The first three were with Buffalo, in 2001, 2006 and 2011. ... Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was the Stars coach for their previous Game 7 at home, a win over Colorado at Reunion Arena in the Western Conference final. ... Tarasenko has seven goals this postseason, while Backes has six. ... The Blues blocked 34 shots; the Stars blocked five.

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ST. LOUIS - Rookie Mattias Janmark ignited a three-goal first period and Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves for the Dallas Stars, who forced Game 7 with a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night.

Vernon Fiddler and Jason Spezza also scored for Dallas, which reclaimed home ice for the deciding game on Wednesday night despite getting outshot 37-14 with the Blues dominating the last two periods.

Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund scored for St. Louis.

Home ice has meant little, given the road team has won three in a row and four of six in the series.

Related: Allen replaces Elliott in Blues' crease after Spezza snipe

Blues goalie Brian Elliott, who had played well throughout the postseason, was replaced with the Stars leading 3-0 on just seven shots at 16:49 of the first.

Jake Allen finished in his first appearance of this postseason, facing just seven more shots in the final two-plus periods.

St. Louis will be seeking its first trip to the Western Conference final since 2001 and Dallas, which finished first overall in the West, previously made it that far in 2008.

The Stars were ahead 3-0 after the first, their first two- and three-goal leads of the series. That early show of strength muzzled another standing room crowd of 19,808 at the Scottrade Center with the first two goals coming in a span of 20 seconds.

Related: Watch: Stars score twice in 20 seconds

Janmark blocked Colton Parayko's dump-in from just inside the blue line and skated in alone on Elliott, scoring on a high shot. Fiddler made it 2-0 on a deflection at 5:13 not long after Elliott couldn't clear the puck.

Elliott was pulled after the Stars made it three goals on seven shots, with Spezza scoring on a power play from the slot at 16:49. Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester fell down seconds before Spezza's first of the series and fifth of the playoffs.

The Blues had several good chances in the first, but often missed the net.

Steen's goal on a rebound of Robert Bortuzzo's shot gave the Blues life in the second period. The Blues had a 14-5 shots advantage in the period, including another good opportunity for Steen on a one-timer off Lehtonen's pads in the final minute.

Berglund cut the deficit to one at 8:59 of the third, tapping it in from close range off a nice setup from Jori Lehtera. Lehtonen stopped Jaden Schwartz on a one-timer with about 20 seconds left.

NOTES: Spezza has a point in four consecutive games. Janmark had been scoreless three straight games. Fiddler scored his first of the playoffs. ... F Patrick Eaves returned for the Stars from a leg injury, and hit the crossbar with about two minutes left with a chance to extend the lead to two. ... Bortuzzo played his fourth game of the playoffs for St. Louis in place of rookie Joel Edmundson on defense.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Joe Pavelski scored two goals and the San Jose Sharks bounced back from a triple-overtime loss to beat the Nashville Predators 5-1 on Saturday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture also scored as part of San Jose's reconfigured second line and the Sharks moved within one win of advancing to the Western Conference final for the fourth time in franchise history

San Jose will look to secure a spot in its first conference final since 2011 by winning at Nashville in Game 6 on Monday night.

Melker Karlsson added a late goal and Martin Jones made 24 saves to give the home team its fifth straight win in this series.

Game 4 overtime hero Mike Fisher scored and Pekka Rinne made 23 saves, but Nashville allowed goals in the opening and closing minutes of the second period.

The Predators now must try to repeat the trick they pulled off in the first round against Anaheim by rallying from a 3-2 series deficit if they want to reach the conference final for the first time in franchise history.

San Jose coach Peter DeBoer's decision to move Marleau from third-line center to second-line wing on Couture's line paid big dividends. Marleau opened the scoring midway through the first and Couture delivered big plays to start and finish the second period.

On the opening shift of the second period, Couture took a pass from Joonas Donskoi and skated in on a breakaway where stickhandled in and slid the puck between Rinne's pads to put San Jose up 3-1 just 35 seconds into the period.

Couture then drew a tripping penalty from Roman Josi in the final minute of the period. The Sharks then scored right off the faceoff with Marleau setting up Pavelski on a one-timer for his second goal of the game.

The Sharks killed an early power play in the third period and limited Nashville's chances after that to seal the win.

The new second line wasn't the only lineup switch DeBoer made. He also gave Dainius Zubrus his first playoff action on the fourth line in place of Tommy Wingels. Zubrus brought a physical element to the game but it was Couture's line that did most of the damage.

Donskoi had two assists, including a nifty backhand pass right to Marleau for a one-timer that opened the scoring midway through the first.

The Predators answered with a familiar line when Fisher completed a tic-tac-toe passing sequence from James Neal and Colin Wilson to tie it with his third goal in the past two games. That line scored all four goals for Nashville in the Game 4 win, including Fisher's goal in triple overtime to end the game after 51:12 of overtime.

But San Jose answered right back with a goal from its top line when Joe Thornton sent a blind, backhand pass to Pavelski in the edge of the circle for a one-timer that beat Rinne late in the period.

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WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin did everything he could to keep the Washington Capitals' season alive.

Ovechkin threw his body around, skated around and through Pittsburgh's defense and scored a power-play goal to help the Capitals beat the Penguins 3-1 in Game 5 on Saturday night.

Related: Watch: Ovechkin, Kunitz trade PPGs in dizzying start to Game 5​

Behind a two-point game from Ovechkin and 30 saves by Braden Holtby, Washington cut its deficit to 3-2 and forced Game 6 on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. T.J. Oshie also scored on the power play and Justin Williams at even strength, cracking Matt Murray after the goaltender looked superhuman for most of the series.

Murray allowed three goals on 19 shots and was victimized on a brutal turnover by defenseman Brian Dumoulin that led to Williams' goal. Meanwhile, Holtby was stellar and at his best when he stopped three in a less than minute on Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist and Justin Schultz.

That succession of saves by body, pads and glove late in the second period drew a standing ovation and chants of ''Holtby! Holtby!'' from the sellout crowd at Verizon Center hoping it wasn't seeing its final game of the season.

Penguins star Sidney Crosby had an extra gear to his game, too, but Ovechkin was even better with the Capitals on the brink of yet another early playoff exit. From the drop of the puck, Washington's captain was a force all over the ice.

Ovechkin scored 4:04 in, 8 seconds into the first power play of the night, to give the Capitals the kind of strong start the Penguins anticipated given the situation. After Chris Kunitz scored the Penguins' first power-play goal of the series 3 minutes later and the momentum shifted, Ovechkin was at the center of the Capitals seizing it back.

It was Ovechkin's shot off Murray's right pad that set up Oshie for his rebound goal 4 minutes into the second period. After no power-play goals in the past two games and a 1-for-12 showing in the series, the Capitals' unit that ranked fifth in the NHL during the regular season woke up just like coach Barry Trotz wanted.

''You've got to find the back of the net, be it Ovi or Osh or someone,'' Trotz said Saturday morning. ''They've got to do that. They've got to get a little more traffic, as they always do when you're not getting the goals that you want. You've got to go to the hard areas.''

Trotz also wanted better 5-on-5 production up and down his lineup and got that boost from Williams 9:58 into the second period. When Dumoulin threw the puck into the middle of the ice, it landed on the tape of Williams' stick, and the 33-year-old awoke from his postseason slumber to beat Murray five-hole for his second goal of the series.

The Capitals signed Williams for these situations, and he made up for committing his team-leading seventh penalty of the playoffs. His goal squirted through the legs of Murray, who had stopped 104 of the past 109 shots he faced.

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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DALLAS - Rookie playoff points leader Robby Fabbri had a goal and assist, Brian Elliott turned away a strong Dallas push in the third period and the St. Louis Blues beat the Stars 4-1 Saturday for a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.

Related: Watch: Blues' Jaskin scores in 2016 postseason debut

Dmitrij Jaskin's first career playoff goal put the Blues ahead for good at 2-1 in the second period, and St. Louis protected a 3-1 lead in the third for a second straight road victory. The Blues surrendered the same lead before winning in overtime in Game 2 in Dallas.

Elliott had 27 saves to give the Blues a chance to wrap up the series in Game 6 at home on Monday night.

Troy Brouwer scored his fourth goal of the playoffs in a rare early start (noon) just 38 hours after the Stars won in overtime in St. Louis to even the series.

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ST. LOUIS - Alexander Steen and David Backes had two goals apiece and the St. Louis Blues' defense put the clamps on the Dallas Stars in a 6-1 victory that put them up 2-1 in the second-round series Tuesday night.

Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists, Troy Brouwer had a goal and assist and Brian Elliott was strong when he needed to be for the Blues in their first lopsided triumph of the postseason. Their other five wins were decided by one goal.

The Blues finished two points behind Western Conference champion Dallas in the regular season and have control of the series heading into Game 4 Thursday night in St. Louis. Despite a late start - more than 1 1/2 hours past the usual puck drop - the vast majority of a standing-room crowd of 19,323 stuck around to the finish.

St. Louis scored six unanswered goals after Colton Sceviour gave Dallas the early advantage, three coming in a breakaway second period. Steen capped the big second period with a power-play goal, matching his postseason career high for goals in a game.

Antti Niemi was the lone major lineup change for Game 3, replacing Kari Lehtonen in the Stars' net after playing effectively the last two periods plus overtime in Game 2. That switch didn't last long, and it didn't matter.

Lehtonen was back early in the second after Niemi allowed three goals on 12 shots.

The third period turned nasty when Stephen Johns boarded Alex Pietrangelo with 3:01 to go, leading to a pummeling of Curtis McKenzie by Blues regulator Ryan Reaves. Backes scored his fifth of the postseason during the 4-on-4, giving the captain his first career multi-goal game.

Tarasenko also had a three-point game in the first round against Chicago. He's the first St. Louis player with multiple three-point games in the postseason since Doug Weight also had two in 2003. He has 15 goals in 23 career playoff games.

Sceviour tapped in his own rebound for the Stars' lone goal at 4:44 of the first. Just 1:07 later, Steen tied it on a play that developed off a turnover by Alex Goligoski.

Backes, who got the winning goal on an overtime power play in Game 2, put St. Louis ahead on another power play on a deflection at 16:10.

The Stars just missed a chance to tie it late in the period. Jason Demers' shot off the crossbar was ruled a goal on the ice but was waved off after video review.

The rest was all St. Louis.

Brouwer skated in alone for his third goal of the postseason, Tarasenko scored off Goligoski's skate and Steen scored on a power play.

NOTES: The Blues' margin of victory matched their largest in the playoffs since a 6-1 decision in Game 4 of the first round last season at Minnesota. ... Earlier in the day, Stars coach Lindy Ruff said F Patrick Eaves (lower body) could return for Game 4, and should be back by Game 5 at the latest. ... Counting the postseason, Blues D Kevin Shattenkirk has 25 points in 25 games against Dallas. ... Steen also had two goals against the Kings on April 30, 2013.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Shea Weber scored the go-ahead goal and had an assist and the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 Tuesday night to pull within 2-1 in their Western Conference second-round series.

James Neal and Filip Forsberg each scored on the power-play, Colin Wilson had a goal, and Pekka Rinne made 26 saves for Nashville.

Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, who lost for the first time away from San Jose this postseason and first since a loss at Arizona on March 17.

Game 4 is Thursday night.

The Predators not only lost the first two in San Jose, but were facing the NHL's best regular-season road team. The Sharks also went 4-2 in Nashville in winning first-round series in both 2006 and 2007.

Nashville has not lost a game in regulation on home ice to San Jose since Feb. 25, 2012, with the lone defeat in seven games a shootout loss April 2. This time, the Predators shut down the Sharks' power play, killing four penalties after San Jose went 3 of 5 in the first two games.

Predators coach Peter Laviolette switched up his lineup with Mike Ribeiro a healthy scratch in place of Pontus Aberg making his NHL debut. Ribeiro had only one assist in nine postseason games and a minus-3 rating. Laviolette also put Craig Smith, Forsberg and Ryan Johansen together on the top line and moved Neal with Mike Fisher and Wilson.

For a little extra mojo, the Predators brought Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota onto the ice before the puck dropped to rally the fans.

The Sharks scored first. Marleau got the puck and skated past the Nashville defense for an easy wrister into an open net, catching Rinne too far from the crease at 13:13. But San Jose failed to convert on two man-advantages in the period.

In the second, Sharks right wing Joonas Donskoi got a double-minor for high-sticking Neal at 2:19. Neal finally scored on the power play at 5:11 with a one-timer from the edge of the right circle off a pass from Mattias Ekholm. With Matt Nieto in the box for hooking Johansen, Smith joined him a minute later setting up 60 seconds of 4-on-4 play.

Weber gave the Predators their first lead since the opening goal of Game 1 with a blast from the slot that beat Martin Jones high to his glove side with 13 seconds left in 4-on-4. Then, Nashville killed off the ensuing power play.

Nashville forward Colton Sissons had to be helped off the ice at 6:09 of the third after his left knee crashed into the post while he was chasing down a loose puck. No penalty was called, and went to the locker room after coming off. He was back on the bench late in the game.

Wilson then padded the Predators' lead at 6:55, scoring off the rebound of Ryan Ellis' shot. Forsberg added his power-play goal and just second goal of the postseason at 15:49.

NOTES: Weber's goal tied him with David Legwand for most in Nashville postseason history with 13. Weber reached that mark in his 55th game, while Legwand did it in 47. ... The Sharks now are 5-4 in Game 3s when leading a series 2-0 and snapped a streak of three straight wins in such situations.

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PITTSBURGH - Patric Hornqvist and Tom Kuhnhackl scored a minute apart in the first period, Matt Murray stopped 47 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins took control of their Eastern Conference semifinal with a 3-2 win in Game 3 on Monday.

Carl Hagelin added his third goal of the playoffs for Pittsburgh, which took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series on another contentious night guaranteed to keep the NHL player safety office busy. Two days after Washington's Brooks Orpik earned a three-game suspension for an illegal hit on Pittsburgh's Olli Maatta, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang took a shot at Capitals forward Marcus Johansson sure to be reviewed before Wednesday's Game 4.

Alexander Ovechkin and Justin Williams scored in the third, but the Capitals find themselves in a deficit against a franchise they have beaten just once in eight previous playoff meetings.

The Penguins were hardly crisp but turned Washington mistakes into goals while Murray did the rest. The 21-year-old rookie outplayed Vezina Trophy finalist Braden Holtby to move Pittsburgh within two wins of a spot in the conference finals.

Playing with the urgency they lacked early in a 2-1 loss in Game 2, the Capitals outshot Pittsburgh 49-23 and outhit the Penguins 58-25. It hardly mattered.

The NHL's best team during the regular season has just one goal in the last six periods against Murray, who is playing so well Marc-Andre Fleury - who dressed for the first time since suffering a concussion on March 31 - might want to get used to the view on the bench.

Wearing the same Pittsburgh gold uniforms that team owner Mario Lemieux wore during the club's consecutive Stanley Cup runs in 1991 and 1992 - runs that included victories over Washington - it seemed like old times for the Penguins. The defense in front of Murray was steady even with Derrick Pouliot making his playoff debut while replacing Maatta, who is out indefinitely after taking a shot to the head from Orpik.

Pittsburgh's depth at the blue line could be tested in Game 4 after Letang made a run at Johansson that had some of the hallmarks of the elbow Orpik threw at Maatta. Johansson was skating into the offensive zone when he was headed off by four Penguins. The puck was steered away and long gone by the time Letang turned toward Johansson and launched himself into the forward. Letang earned a penalty for interference and Johansson remained on the ice for several moments before skating away.

Unlike Maatta, Johansson returned. By then, however, the Capitals were already on their heels after the Penguins counterattacked brilliantly. Sidney Crosby keyed a rush that ended with Conor Sheary chasing down a blocked shot in the corner and feeding it to Trevor Daley at the point. Hornqvist reached out and expertly smacked the puck off the ice, allowing it to skid right by Holtby to give Pittsburgh a lead perhaps it didn't deserve just 6:37 into the game.

A minute later Washington's deficit doubled when Nicklas Backstrom whiffed while trying to intercept Letang's long stretch pass to Cullen. The ensuing 2-on-1 ended with the puck smacking off Kuhnhackl's back and into the net.

Murray hardly appeared phased by having his team's franchise goaltender active for the first time in more than a month. He withstood whatever Washington threw at him, everything from heavy blasts from the point to chaos from in close.

When the Capitals weren't firing away they were giving it up.

Nate Schmidt opened the door for the Penguins to make it 3-0 late in the second period, flipping a blind backhand pass deep in the Washington end into the slot. Two passes later Hagelin was tipping in a slick feed from Nick Bonino, who drew Holtby out, and then tucked the puck around the sprawled goaltender to Hagelin in front of the open net.

Ovechkin's fourth of the postseason, a blur that whizzed by Murray's mask 8:02 into the third, gave Washington momentum, but there wasn't enough time to catch up.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Joe Pavelski scored the tie-breaking goal with 2:40 left in regulation and Martin Jones stopped 37 shots to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night 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.

Mattias Ekholm tied the game earlier in the third and Ryan Johansen also scored for Nashville.

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 Pekka 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.

A few minutes later, Ekholm got the equalizer when his shot from the high slot got past a screened Jones to make it 1-1.

The Sharks scored first following an odd penalty late in the second period. Nashville defenseman Roman Josi tried to rush off the ice after a bad line change to avoid a too many men penalty, but jumped into the Sharks bench because he couldn't reach his own in time.

That move shocked the San Jose players but didn't avoid the penalty and the Sharks made Nashville pay for the mistake. Early on the ensuing power play, Brent Burns fired a point shot on net that Rinne stopped with his pads. But Couture jumped on the rebound and knocked it in with 1:24 left for his third goal of the series.

Burns and the rest of the Sharks had struggled to get shots on net before that with Nashville blocking five shots by Burns before he finally got one to Rinne off a deflection by Pavelski.

Even when they did manage to get shots through the defense, Rinne was there to stop them. His best sequence came early in the second period when Joonas Donskoi slid a pass to Couture, whose shot from the slot was stopped by Rinne. Donskoi got the rebound and appeared to have an empty net to shoot at but Rinne slid over to make another save.

The power-play goal by Couture was San Jose's third in its first five chances with the man advantage this series as special teams have played a major role in the Sharks' success the past two games

San Jose even killed a penalty for too many men in the ice shortly before Couture's goal as Nashville fell to 2-for-31 on the power play this postseason.

NOTES: The Predators have lost all six postseason games they have played in San Jose, getting outscored 23-12. ... F Craig Smith returned to the lineup for Nashville after missing Game 1 with a lower-body injury.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Joe Pavelski scored the tie-breaking goal with 2:40 left in regulation and Martin Jones stopped 37 shots to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night 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.

Mattias Ekholm tied the game earlier in the third and Ryan Johansen also scored for Nashville.

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 Pekka 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.

A few minutes later, Ekholm got the equalizer when his shot from the high slot got past a screened Jones to make it 1-1.

The Sharks scored first following an odd penalty late in the second period. Nashville defenseman Roman Josi tried to rush off the ice after a bad line change to avoid a too many men penalty, but jumped into the Sharks bench because he couldn't reach his own in time.

That move shocked the San Jose players but didn't avoid the penalty and the Sharks made Nashville pay for the mistake. Early on the ensuing power play, Brent Burns fired a point shot on net that Rinne stopped with his pads. But Couture jumped on the rebound and knocked it in with 1:24 left for his third goal of the series.

Burns and the rest of the Sharks had struggled to get shots on net before that with Nashville blocking five shots by Burns before he finally got one to Rinne off a deflection by Pavelski.

Even when they did manage to get shots through the defense, Rinne was there to stop them. His best sequence came early in the second period when Joonas Donskoi slid a pass to Couture, whose shot from the slot was stopped by Rinne. Donskoi got the rebound and appeared to have an empty net to shoot at but Rinne slid over to make another save.

The power-play goal by Couture was San Jose's third in its first five chances with the man advantage this series as special teams have played a major role in the Sharks' success the past two games

San Jose even killed a penalty for too many men in the ice shortly before Couture's goal as Nashville fell to 2-for-31 on the power play this postseason.

NOTES: The Predators have lost all six postseason games they have played in San Jose, getting outscored 23-12. ... F Craig Smith returned to the lineup for Nashville after missing Game 1 with a lower-body injury.

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