SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The nine-stitch gash on Johan Franzen's right cheek might not have felt so bad if the Detroit Red Wings forward wasn't the one who ended up in the penalty box after being cut with a high stick.

Franzen was called for tripping late in the second period Thursday. Valtteri Filppula was whistled for high-sticking less than a minute later.

Joe Pavelski then scored his second power-play goal of the game during a five-on-three advantage, 50 seconds into the third period. It proved to be the difference in the San Jose Sharks' 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at HP Pavilion.

Playing on just one day's rest following a seven-game series against Phoenix wasn't an issue for the Red Wings. They skated well and battled back to make a game of it after a disastrous 2-minute stretch midway through the first period, when San Jose scored three unanswered goals. But they fell just short.

Going 0-for-5 on the power play didn't help. Neither did the play on Franzen, who was clipped by Devin Setoguchi's stick but received a tripping penalty. Setoguchi escaped without any penalty, let alone a double-minor that ordinarily would have resulted from a sticking infraction that draws blood.

"I don't think he was aware of me and I wasn't aware of him,'' Franzen said. "We both were trying to get our stick on the puck and I wound up going backwards, and he fell over me and got the stick up. I guess they didn't see it was a high stick. Maybe they thought it was a skate or something.

"I didn't feel good to get a penalty when you think they were going to get four (minutes).''

Said Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom: "When (Setoguchi) fell, his stick came up and hit (Franzen). That's what the refs told us. That's why he didn't call it.''

SHARKS 4, RED WINGS 3 Key play: Joe Pavelski scored what proved to be the winning goal 50 seconds into the third period during a five-on-three power play to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead.



Hero: Pavelski scored twice on the power play and is tied for the league lead with seven playoff goals.



Goat: Valtteri Filppula was in the penalty box for both of Pavelski's goals and had no points and one shot on goal.



Analysis: Coming off a seven-game series with just one day's rest, the Red Wings had a great chance to steal the opener against a team missing its leading goal scorer during the regular season (Patrick Marleau). Going 0-for-5 on a power play that's been hot and cold of late was the difference. They managed only four shots on the power play, just 23 for the game, on a night when goaltender Evgeni Nabokov looked beatable.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock chalked it up as a bad break.

"It's easy to evaluate it after the fact,'' Babcock said. "I think they thought (Franzen) had tripped and didn't realize he got it from that high stick in the face first.''

Setoguchi also drew a high-sticking call on Filppula, falling to the ice in a heap, which prompted Babcock to remark: "That's a penalty, it's a slash for sure, but don't dive and embellish it. You're from Western Canada, don't do that (stuff).''

Pavelski fired a shot through Jimmy Howard's five-hole from the side of the net to give his team a 4-2 lead.

"Howie would like to have that one,'' Babcock said. "We had it all covered off. That's the way it is sometimes. Those things happen.''

Brian Rafalski scored at 2:57 of the third period to trim the deficit to 4-3, but the Red Wings could not complete the comeback.

"We think we have a good team and it's going to be a good series,'' Babcock said. "I didn't think we played poorly or they tilted the rink. They shot it in the net. We made a couple of mistakes. I think we can be better in our own zone and harder on their D.''

The Sharks prevailed without Patrick Marleau, their leading goal scorer during the regular season, who is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

"We got back on our heels a little bit, but we recovered well, did a lot of good things, worked our way back into the game,'' Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart said. "Special teams were the difference. If we find a way to get one by him on the power play, it's a different game.''

The Red Wings began chipping away at a 3-0 deficit in the first period when Dan Cleary scored at 11:40, picking up his first point of the playoffs.

Franzen scored at 4:45 of the second period to trim the Sharks' lead to 3-2.

The Sharks exploded for three goals, all from the slot area, in a span of 1:39 midway through the first period to take a 3-0 lead.

Pavelski opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 9:05. Dany Heatley scored at 10:01 on a pass from Joe Thornton. Setoguchi made it 3-0 23 seconds later after Ryane Clowe stole the puck from Niklas Kronwall along the boards.

"We did come back and play well in the second and third, but they played well in their own zone. They didn't give us a whole lot,'' Lidstrom said. "We battled back and gave ourselves a chance to win the game.''