Pavelec collapses on ice in Thrashers hockey game

After watching their goalie inexplicably collapse to the ice in the opening minutes, the Thrashers bounced back to beat the Washington Capitals, 4-2, in Atlanta on Friday night behind two goals from Evander Kane.

Ondrej Pavelec suddenly fell over backward 21/2 minutes into the game during a stoppage at the other end of the ice. He was treated for about 10 minutes on the ice before being wheeled off on a stretcher. He was taken to a local hospital, where preliminary tests were negative and Pavelec regained consciousness.

Stars 4, Devils 3: Loui Eriksson scored the winner 1:36 into overtime for visiting Dallas.

Hurricanes 2, Wild 1: Jeff Skinner scored the only goal of the shootout to lead Carolina past Minnesota for a sweep of the two season-opening games in Helsinki, Finland.

Sharks 3, Blue Jackets 2: Logan Couture scored on the power play midway through the third period to help San Jose beat Columbus in the season opener for both teams in Stockholm. - AP