The San Jose Sharks got an overtime winner to beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Friday, staying alive in the NHL playoff series. Joe Pavelski scored 65 seconds into overtime as the Sharks closed the series deficit to 3-2. Brian Campbell scored the tying goal midway through the third period for the Sharks, who will travel to Dallas for Game 6. San Jose is just the fourth team in the past 20 seasons to stretch a series even to six games after trailing 0-3. Only two in NHL history have managed to win the series from there – the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 and the New York Islanders in 1975. Jere Lehtinen and captain Brenden Morrow scored second-period goals for the Stars, who controlled play and seemed headed for an easy evening at the Shark Tank, where they had dominated the home team over the last two years. Morrow also had two apparent goals disallowed – one for kicking the puck into the net and another for batting it with his hand. The second-seeded Sharks, whose inconsistent brilliance has defined their season, appeared listless before Milan Michalek and Campbell scored in the third period to tie the game. Pavelski ended it before some fans had even settled in their seats for overtime, dangling in the slot and beating Stars' goaltender Marty Turco for an unassisted goal. US, Canada win openers In Halifax, Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists and Tim Thomas made 24 saves to help the United States beat Latvia 4-0 on Friday night in the Americans' opening preliminary round game in the Ice Hockey World Championships. In the other Group B opening day game, host and defending champion Canada beat Slovenia 5-1. In Group D, the Czech Republic downed beat Denmark 5-2, while Russia cruised past Italy 7-1. Kane, the 19-year-old star who had 72 points in 82 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL this season, assisted on a first-period goal, then added a goal midway through the second, before setting up another in the third period. The United States, wearing retro jerseys from its 1960 Olympic victory, scored all four goals on power plays. The Americans will return to action Sunday night against Slovenia. In the other Group B game, Dany Heatley had three goals and an assist in defending champion Canada's 5-1 victory over Slovenia. Group A will begin Saturday, with Belarus meeting Sweden and Switzerland to play France. In Group C, Germany faces Finland while Slovakia takes on Norway.
