NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Patrick Rissmiller scored at 11:46 of the second overtime, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 Wednesday night after blowing a two-goal lead in the opening game of the Western Conference first-round series.

Rissmiller, who scored only seven goals in the regular season, beat Tomas Vokoun with a shot from the edge of the left circle after taking a crisp pass from Patrick Marleau.

San Jose squandered a 4-2 lead after two periods, an advantage built with three goals in the middle frame after the Sharks lost top goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo to an injured right knee.

But 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 with 7:05 left, and 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.

Craig Rivet scored on a 5-on-3 power play and added an assist. Joe Thornton, the NHL’s second-leading scorer with 114 points, and Marleau each had two assists for San Jose. Matthew Carle, Mike Grier and Milan Michalek scored a goal each.

San Jose has won five straight playoff games against Nashville after taking the final four in the first round last year.

AP-ES-04-12-07 0002EDT