Dallas beat St Louis in NHL playoff opener

Radek Faksa had a goal and an assist and Kari Lehtonen stopped 31 shots for the Dallas Stars in a 2-1 victory against the St Louis Blues in Friday's game one of their second-round series.

Faksa scored the eventual winner with 4:44 remaining in regulation when he tapped in a rebound after Blues goaltender Brian Elliott denied the initial shot by Ales Hemsky.

Antoine Roussel also scored for Dallas, while Kevin Shattenkirk pulled one back for the Blues.

The best chance of the opening period at American Airlines Center came with 4:19 remaining when Robby Fabbri and Troy Brouwer had a two-on-one. Lehtonen managed to get his stick on Brouwer's wrist shot at the near post and knocked it high.

Lehtonen also made two saves on Paul Stastny earlier in the period, denying him first on a backhand, 8:59 into the game, and a second time as Stastny attempted to score off the rebound.

Roussel gave Dallas a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the playoffs, 9:36 into the second period. He scored off a rebound after Blues goaltender Brian Elliott denied the initial wrist shot by Faksa from the edge of the left circle.

Roussel started the sequence by charging up the right side of the ice before delivering a cross-ice pass to John Klingberg, who has four points in the playoffs.

Elliott robbed Mattias Janmark at the far post, 4:50 into the third period. Janmark was attempting to score his first playoff goal, but Elliott denied him a second time in the game with a glove save.

Dallas lost veteran winger Patrick Eaves to a lower-body injury early in the third period. Eaves was struck with a shot by Stephen Johns from the right point and left the ice slowly. Eaves immediately adjourned to the Dallas dressing room for treatment.

St Louis tied it with 8:28 remaining when Shattenkirk scored on a one-timer from the left point that beat Lehtonen at the far post after receiving a pass from Colton Parayko.

Elliott stopped 40 for the Blues.