Havlat lifts Sharks past Blues in OT

NHL: Martin Havlat scored his second goal of the game 3:34 into the second overtime, giving the visiting San Jose Sharks a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their playoff series.

Andrew Desjardins tied it for San Jose with 5:16 in regulation, banging in a one-timer from the slot from Tommy Wingels, and Dan Boyle had two assists. Antti Niemmi made 40 saves.

Patrik Berglund scored his first two career playoff goals in the third period for the Blues, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

St. Louis swept the regular-season series 4-0 for the first time since 1994-95 and lost only six games in regulation at home during the regular season.

• Kelly sends Bruins past Caps in OT: Chris Kelly scored on a long slap shot 1:18 into overtime and the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins beat the visiting Washington Capitals 1-0 in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

Braden Holtby made 29 saves for the Capitals. Tim Thomas stopped all 17 shots he faced for Boston.

• Coyotes skate past Blackhawks in OT: Martin Hanzal scored 9:29 into overtime and the Phoenix Coyotes opened the playoffs with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Glendale, Ariz.

Brent Seabrook put a rebound past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith with 14.2 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

• Top-seeded Rangers triumph: Marian Gaborik and Brian Boyle scored minutes apart in the second period to break open a tight game, and the top-seeded New York Rangers opened their first-round Eastern Conference series with a 4-2 home victory over the Ottawa Senators.

• NHL takes action against Bitz, Weber: Vancouver Canucks forward Byron Bitz was suspended for two games by the NHL for boarding Los Angeles Kings forward Kyle Clifford during Game 1 of their playoff series. The NHL also fined Nashville defenseman Shea Weber $2,500 for slamming Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg’s head against the glass at the end of Game 1 and warned the captain to be careful for the rest of the playoffs.

Boozer, Bulls handle Heat in overtime

NBA: C.J. Watson scored 16 points, including the tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation, and the host Chicago Bulls pulled away in overtime to beat the Miami Heat 96-86.

Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 19 points and Kyle Korver added 17 as the Bulls boosted their lead in the Eastern Conference to four games.

LeBron James scored 30 points and Dwyane Wade added 21 for Miami.

• Duncan, Spurs cool surging Grizzlies: Tim Duncan had 28 points and 12 rebounds and the host San Antonio Spurs snapped out of a funk to top the Memphis Grizzlies 107-97.

Manu Ginobili added 20 points for the Spurs.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 19 points. The Grizzlies had their four-game winning streak halted after their rally from a late 14-point deficit fizzled in the final minutes.

• Love sits out loss, return remains in question: All-Star Kevin Love sat Thursday night during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 95-82 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Minneapolis, and coach Rick Adelman said it was too soon to tell if Love would return to the court at any point this season.

Love was cleared to return to Minnesota on Thursday after spending the night in a Denver hospital. He sustained a mild concussion and a neck strain when Nuggets forward JaVale McGee inadvertently elbowed him in the head on Wednesday night.

• Blazers’ Aldridge faces surgery: Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will have surgery on his right hip and miss the rest of the season.

• Maggette’s season ends: Charlotte Bobcats forward Corey Maggette will miss the remaining 10 games because of the continued strain in his right Achilles tendon.

• Sacramento leaders push for Maloof to sell: Sacramento business leaders are asking NBA Commissioner David Stern and league owners to “strongly encourage” the Maloof family to sell the Kings so a deal for a new arena can proceed.

Saints select Vitt to replace Payton

NFL: The New Orleans Saints named Joe Vitt as interim coach, despite the top assistant’s six-game suspension for his role in the club’s bounty system.

The Saints had to find a one-season replacement for head coach Sean Payton, whose season-long suspension in connection with the bounty scandal begins Monday and runs through the next February’s Super Bowl.

Three share lead at RBC Heritage

Golf: Chad Campbell used a fast start, and Vaughn Taylor and Colt Knost had strong finishes to share the first-round lead at 4-under-par 67 in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Campbell birdied four of his first seven holes, Knost birdied three of his last five, and Taylor holed out from the fairway for a closing eagle on the par-4 ninth hole at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Four others were a stroke back.