SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Sharks' patience and resolve were rewarded at about the same time the Predators' road luck ran out.

Held scoreless for 40 minutes, the hosts exploded for five goals in the third period as San Jose beat Nashville 5-2 to open a second-round playoff series at SAP Center on Friday.

"Coming off the break, we had some questions about how we would be," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "And I thought I saw the effects of that the first two periods. We found a way."

San Jose took a 1-0 lead in its best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series that resumes Sunday for Game 2 at 5 p.m.

"Their power-play goal got them going, it put some energy in the building and they fed off it," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We're capable of playing better."

Trailing 1-0 to a Nashville team that advanced with a Game 7 win on Wednesday in Anaheim while San Jose was idle for six nights, the Sharks gained the equalizer early in the third period as Tomas Hertl's power-play goal at 2:37 found a way under the left catching glove of Predators goalie Pekka Rinne and just inside the near post.

Sharks winger Joel Ward fed Hertl, who was at the bottom of the right circle. The Sharks converted 1:46 into Ryan Johansen's holding penalty of Joe Pavelski.

"We took too many penalties," Johansen said. "It started with me on the hooking penalty. Whether I agree or disagree with the call, it doesn't matter, I have to be careful with my stick. We had a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes from there."

Then it was Ward who broke a 1-1 tie with his first of the postseason at 11:49 when he slipped a nifty backhand shot behind Rinne.

"I didn't see a whole lot of room to be honest," said Ward, a teammate of Rinne's in Nashville from 2008-11. "I just tried to wait him out. I was fortunate to get behind him. He stopped a lot of my shots. It could be a little frustrating shooting against him. I'm just happy I got one by him."

Couture scored the first of his two goals on the power play at 15:40 when he redirected a feed from Pavelski past Rinne just 19 seconds into Calle Jarnkrok's high stick against San Jose's rookie winger Joonas Donskoi.

The Preds pulled to within one as with their goalie pulled a Roman Josi shot deflected off the shield of Ryan Johansen past Sharks goalie Martin Jones at 18:11.

But San Jose struck for a pair of empty-net goals -- Couture at 18:31 and Tommy Wingels at 19:10 -- that put it away.

Jones stopped 29 of 31 shots for his fifth win of the postseason.

"Jonesy made some saves and allowed us to hang around," DeBoer said. "To come out with a win even though I don't think we played our best 60 minutes is good because we'll be better in Game 2."

The Sharks had more shots in the second period (14-10), but the Predators broke through early to score the only goal in the first 40 minutes.

San Jose left winger Matt Nieto tripped Nashville center Colin Wilson deep in the offensive zone at 2:45 and the Predators embarked on their second power play of the game.

Johansen's seam pass found Mike Fisher alone at the left dot, and the veteran center wristed his second goal of the postseason over the shoulder of Jones at 4:33.

"I thought we were pretty patient in our own end in the first two periods," Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "I thought it was a fairly even game until they scored that third goal. But it's game one of seven."

NOTES: The Sharks and Predators have met twice in the playoffs with San Jose winning both series' in five games (West quarterfinals in both 2006 and 2007). ... Coming into the series, Nashville G Pekka Rinne is 10-5-4 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .945 save percentage during 20 career appearances against San Jose. His sparkling save percentage against the Sharks is the best against any opponent Rinne has faced nine or more times. Conversely, San Jose G Martin Jones was 0-2 with a 3.57 GAA in four career games against Nashville. ... The Sharks dressed the same 20 players Friday as they did throughout their five-game series against Los Angeles. ... Nashville promoted RW Pontus Aberg from Milwaukee of the AHL. ... LW Eric Nystrom to take the place of RW Craig Smith, who was a last scratch from Game 1 with a lower-body injury. Smith missed two games of the first-round series with the same injury. Aberg made his NHL debut. ... C Dainius Zubrus, LW Micheal Haley, D Dylan DeMelo and D Matt Tennyson were San Jose's healthy scratches. ... D Petter Granberg, C Cody Bass, LW Austin Watson and RW Gabriel Bourque did not dress for Nashville.