Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski scored goals 30 seconds apart late in the third period to help the Sharks clinch the playoffs in their final home game of the season with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

“There’s a sense of relief, but it can’t be a sense of relaxation,” coach Todd McLellan said. “When we came in, we immediately looked at what happened tonight around the league, and there’s still a chance for home ice. It would be a nice thing to have.”

Raffi Torres also scored for the Sharks, who moved into a tie for fourth place in the West with Los Angeles with two games remaining in the race for home-ice advantage. The Sharks visit the Kings in the season finale Saturday after playing at Phoenix on Wednesday night.

It’s been quite a roller-coaster season for the Sharks, who won their first seven games and lost 17 of the next 23 before going on their current 12-3-1 stretch to save their season.

“It was a crazy year. It’s obviously not over yet,” Couture said. “Just the 48-game schedule, so many games back to back and inconsistency of the seven-game winning streak, the big losing streak and then the stretch we’ve gone on now. It’s been a weird year. Our main goal from day one was to get into the playoffs. We’ve done that now so I guess that’s all that matters going forward.”

Antoine Roussel and Loui Eriksson scored for the Stars, whose playoff hopes were dealt a serious blow. Dallas remains two points behind ninth-place Detroit and three behind eighth-place Columbus in the race for the final playoff spot. The Red Wings have a game in hand over both teams.

The Stars end the season with home games against Columbus and Detroit, and need to win both and get help to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

“It’s very disappointing,” defenseman Stephane Robidas said. “We battled hard all night. Since the deadline, everyone had written us off, and here we are. I think everyone has shown a lot of character. We needed a point tonight but couldn’t get it. It’s very disappointing.”

Dallas looked as though it would gain two points behind a strong night from Kari Lehtonen but it was all erased in a flash late in the third period.

First, Pavelski tipped Brad Stuart’s point shot in with 5:37 remaining to tie the game.

While the sellout crowd was still celebrating that goal, Justin Braun’s point shot went to Patrick Marleau, who slid the puck to an open Couture, who knocked in his 20th goal of the season.

“Basically a full game of frustration turned into happiness with the go-ahead one there,” Couture said.

Lehtonen made 34 saves but had no chance on Couture’s game winner with 5:07 remaining.

“They had been pressing, and we had had good goaltending the whole game and we just couldn’t hold them at the end when we needed to,” coach Glen Gulutzan said. “We need help now. So we are going to have to bounce back, and we need help. We have to get two more wins.”

Antti Niemi made 24 saves in his 24th straight start for San Jose.

The teams traded goals in the first period with the Sharks striking first. Torres tipped in a centering pass from Scott Gomez for a power-play goal, and the Stars answered when Roussel beat Scott Hannan to a long rebound of a shot by Cody Eakin.

Dallas had chances to take the lead when Stuart was sent to the box for interference with 1:21 remaining on an elbowing penalty against Hannan. The best chance on that 5-on-3 came when San Jose’s Braun was stopped on a partial breakaway by Lehtonen.

Shortly after that two-man advantage ended, Marc-Edouard Vlasic was called for slashing at the end of the first period, giving Dallas 28 seconds more of 5-on-3 play to start the second.

The Stars didn’t squander that chance when Eriksson knocked in a rebound 17 seconds into the period to make it 2-1.

Lehtonen protected that lead the rest of the period, making tough stops on Vlasic, Dan Boyle and Andrew Desjardins to keep Dallas ahead heading into the third.

Game notes

Stars F Alex Chiasson, who scored three goals in two wins over San Jose earlier this month, sat out with a shoulder injury. … San Jose D Jason Demers missed his second straight game because of a lower-body injury. … The Sharks sold out every regular-season game for the third straight season.

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Marion has missed the previous three games because of a bruised left calf suffered during the Mavs’ March 6 win over the Houston Rockets. The Mavs had considered Marion to be day to day, but the calf has not been recovering as well as anticipated.

“It isn’t getting any better,” said Marion, who is not expected to be available for Friday night’s home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “It’s still the same. It’s still painful right now.”

Marion, a 14-year veteran and one of two 2011 title contributors who remain on the Mavs’ roster, averages 11.7 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game. The Mavs have managed to go 7-3 in games Marion has missed this season, although only two of those victories have come against teams with winning records.

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The league’s reigning three-time MVP said Tuesday he never intended for his acrobatic dunking display in the Heat’s layup line to become a potential distraction that apparently has given some critics a chance to slam him.

James has been executing contest-worthy dunks during warm-ups, but has been unwilling throughout his career to participate in the league’s dunk contest during All-Star Weekend despite pressure from fans and former players.

“Maybe I should stop because it’s making a lot of people mad about what I do,” James said after he scored a season-high 40 points and had a career-high 16 assists in Tuesday’s double-overtime win against Sacramento. “They’re like, ‘Well, if you can do it in warm-ups, why don’t you [want to] be in the dunk contest?’ Stop it.’ ”

Videos that fans have taken of James in the layup line have gone viral on the Internet in recent days. One clip taken before Sunday’s home game against Cleveland showed James whipping the ball behind his back, then between his legs before he tossed it off the backboard for a dunk over 6-foot-10 teammate Rashard Lewis.

James was in the act again before Tuesday’s game, when he lobbed the ball into the air, caught it off the bounce and shifted the ball between his legs before slamming it through the rim. The Heat have a reputation for late-arriving crowds, but more fans have filled into the arena’s lower bowl before games with cell phones or video recorders in hand waiting for James to take the court before games.

The Heat have started to stream video of James’ pregame dunks on the team’s official website, and owner Micky Arison has used Twitter to encourage fans to arrive to games early if they want to see the show James puts on.

James said Tuesday he wasn’t aware of how popular the routine has grown, because it’s something he’s always done. More Heat players have gotten involved, including Chris Andersen, Mike Miller, Ray Allen, Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers, who has been James’ stiffest competition of late.

“I’ve been hearing about it,” James said. “But I don’t really watch TV or go on the Internet too much. As a team, it’s kind of our new thing. I’ve had some good ones, but (Chalmers) doing a 360? That’s impressive. We have a little epidemic right now. It’s kind of like the Harlem Shake.”

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to be out, but we’ve still got to get the job done regardless of who is out there.”

Splitter re-energized the Spurs, scoring on a dunk and a reverse layup to make it 77-67 with 7:28 left. Splitter had six points and two rebounds in the final quarter and Parker added five points and three assists.

“In the second half, we lost our focus and the defense dissipated and that let them get back in the game,” Popovich said. “Once again, Tony and Tiago were great. They were steady the entire night. We got it done.”

Game notes
Spurs G Manu Ginobili was sidelined by left hamstring tightness. … Washington F Trevor Booker (sore left wrist) was a late scratch. … The Wizards have had nine different leading scorers for an individual game, with six in the last 10 games. … Washington’s last win in San Antonio was 99-89 on Dec. 11, 1999. … Wall was averaging 13.7 points, 6.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds since returning from injury. … San Antonio was playing its final home game before its annual “Rodeo Road Trip.” The Spurs will play nine straight road games while the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo is held at the AT&T Center.

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Then they really won them over with their play on the ice.

Gabriel Landeskog and David Jones scored 1:35 apart in the final period to help Colorado rally for a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night in the Avalanche’s home opener.

After the final horn, Colorado players skated around the rink and waved their sticks to salute the revved-up capacity crowd.

“It was unbelievable,” said Landeskog, the 20-year-old captain of Colorado. “I think this was the best crowd I’ve played in front of at the Pepsi Center. It just feels great. To be away for so long and to come back and to see so many fans here and how loud they were and how into it, I think it felt like they missed us just as much as we missed them.”

The fans certainly appreciated the offensive skills of P.A. Parenteau, the newest member of the Avalanche. Parenteau scored an insurance goal in the third period to help the team bounce back from a season opening loss in Minnesota.

Known for his passing, Parenteau showed he can find the net, too, especially when he’s left all alone.

“Anytime you can score your first goal in your first home game, that’s a good feeling,” said Parenteau, who had 18 goals and 49 assists with the New York Islanders last season. “As the game went on, we played a much better game.”

Kyle Clifford’s goal in the opening period gave the Kings their first lead of the season and, given the way Jonathan Quick was playing in net, looked like it just might hold up. Quick was turning back everything thrown at him.

That is, until Landeskog beat Quick with a shot off a rebound early in the third. That gave the Avalanche some much-needed momentum against one of the best goaltenders in the league.

Soon after, Jones followed by sending a wrist shot over Quick’s outstretched glove on a power play.

“We knew that if we kept pushing we were going to get one,” said Landeskog, who was presented the Calder Trophy at center ice before the game after being named the league’s top rookie last season. “And if we got one, we knew we could get more on Quick. He’s a good goalie, but we were pushing him all night it felt like.”

Precisely what Quick expected out of the youthful Avalanche.

“They play with a lot of pace so you expect that every shift,” Quick said.

Staked to a lead, Semyon Varlamov made it hold up as he finished with 28 saves.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Kings are winless two games into the season. They lost 5-2 to Chicago last weekend, dampening their banner-raising ceremony.

Any reason for concern, especially given the shortened season?

“I don’t worry,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “That doesn’t really solve much, does it?”

Los Angeles even had Anze Kopitar back in the lineup after he missed the season opener with a knee injury. Kopitar injured his knee shortly before the lockout ended in a collision while playing in Sweden. He has led Los Angeles in scoring in each of the last five seasons.

But Kopitar’s presence couldn’t help get the Kings’ offense on track. He didn’t have a shot on net in nearly 20 minutes of play.

Clifford gave the Kings the early lead off a rebound late in the first period. He set up the play, too, by dishing an outlet pass to Jordan Nolan, who lined a shot off Varlamov’s pads and straight to the stick of the hustling Clifford.

It could’ve been more, but the Avs killed off two penalties.

In an attempt to win back fans, the Avalanche released an apology letter before the game, saying the organization understands the frustration.

“We do not take lightly the responsibility of ensuring that your experience exceeds the level of passion and enthusiasm that you provide our sport, team and players on a daily basis,” the letter read.

It was signed by team governor Josh Kroenke, general manager Greg Sherman, coach Joe Sacco and Landeskog.

The team also played a “welcome back” video for the fans and gave out gifts such as season tickets.

But a win, well, that was the best makeup present the Avs could’ve given.

“They were waiting for something good to happen,” Sacco said. “It took us a little over one period to do that. But once that happened you could feel the electricity in the building. It was fun for our guys again to play in front of their home fans.”

Game notes

Los Angeles placed defenseman Matt Greene (back) on injured reserve Monday. … Avs F Steve Downie left the game in the second period with a knee injury. … Avs F Matt Duchene took a puck off the chin but still played after trainers stitched up the cut.

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Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points and Trey Burke had 18 points and nine assists to help No. 5 Michigan stave off No. 9 Minnesota 83-75 on Thursday night, after falling at rival Ohio State four days before.

“We came out with a higher intensity than last game and set the tone first,” Burke said, adding: “We got our confidence back, and that’s important.”

Hardaway hit four 3-pointers in the first half for the Wolverines (17-1, 4-1 Big Ten), who held the lead for the final 33 minutes of the game and finished with 13 steals to fuel their fast break. Nik Stauskas added 11 points, and now Michigan has a week to rest before a home game against Purdue.

“When you don’t lose very often, they really hit hard,” coach John Beilein said. “I think it’s important for your mental health.”

Austin Hollins led the Gophers (15-3, 3-2) with 21 points and four steals, and Trevor Mbakwe had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Andre Hollins was drawn into early foul trouble, but he came alive after halftime to finish with 13 points and four assists.

The Gophers crept back in the game after falling behind by 19 points early in the second half but squandered some opportunities to really make the Wolverines worry. Joe Coleman missed three of four free throws in the final 4 minutes.

Rodney Williams cut the margin to 77-70 with 2:40 remaining and the Gophers got the ball back, but a 3-pointer by Williams rolled off the rim and Andre Hollins had his put-back attempt blocked underneath.

Burke stretched the lead to nine points with two free throws with 43 seconds left, effectively sealing another signature victory for the Wolverines.

“We’re going to have to do something out of the ordinary to be in the Big Ten hunt,” Beilein said. “Every team is going to have to do that.”

Michigan moved into a four-way tie for second place in the stacked conference behind surprisingly unbeaten Wisconsin. Minnesota lost its second straight game after falling 88-81 at Indiana last Saturday. The Wolverines have beaten the Gophers in eight of their last nine meetings.

“It’s very big, especially for our young guys,” Hardaway said. “It shows that they can win through adversity and they can limit mistakes. It shows that we can trust them and we know that they can handle it.”

This was the first game at Williams Arena pitting two top-10 teams in The Associated Press poll since Michigan visited Minnesota in 1977, and the fans at “The Barn” raised the noise level to the occasion. In the first 4 minutes, Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins both swished 3-pointers and Mbakwe blocked two turnaround shots by Jordan Morgan, just the right way to rev up the crowd.

The Gophers are built around an aggressive, athletic defense that coach Tubby Smith has long employed, but the Wolverines can guard people, too, and they made the Gophers pay nearly every time they made a rushed, forced or panicked pass under heavy ball pressure. The Wolverines entered the game with the fewest fouls in the nation at 11.6 per game, and they emerged from this physical contest with ripped jerseys by three players (Burke, Stauskas and Morgan) and more moxie for the rest of the way.

“Got cuts and everything. But it’s great. That’s Big Ten basketball,” Hardaway said. “Just trying to embrace it as much as possible.”

Hardaway knocked down his share of shots to deflate the Gophers defense and keep the fans from overtaking the game.

“He’s got a presence on this team, both offensively and defensively,” Beilein said. “That is really making our guys go.”

Austin Hollins, the Gophers’ best defender, slowed him down after halftime, but the damage was done.

“He’s a talented player,” Hollins said, adding: “I did what I could. He made a lot of tough shots.”

The Wolverines, who matched the best start in program history at 16-0, fell behind by 21 points in the first half of their 56-53 loss to the Buckeyes last Sunday. This time they took better care of the ball and forced enough misses and turnovers by the Gophers to ignite their breath-taking fast break.

Minnesota’s backups collectively struggled, and the Wolverines took advantage during a 2-minute stretch in the middle of the first half after Andre Hollins picked up his second foul. Julian Welch, the one second-stringer who contributed, scored eight points in the first half.

Burke found Hardaway streaking ahead of him and zinged a perfect lob pass for a dunk with 3:11 left in the half. That came right after the Gophers cut the lead to two, the closest they came in the final 33 minutes.

Then the duo did it again shortly after halftime, pushing Michigan ahead 42-32. The Wolverines put together a 20-7 run to stretch the lead to 56-37, punctuating the takeover with a steal by Glenn Robinson III near midcourt from Williams and a 360-degree dunk on the other end.

With his team trailing 36-30 at halftime, Smith expected the second-half surge to come right away.

“It was just the opposite. Usually we respond much better than that, but I don’t know what happened there,” he said.

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Those not playing may want to sit on the heated benches — or next to the electric heaters — because the game-time temperature when the Broncos host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional playoffs is expected to be 17 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kalina.

In other words, “bundle up,” Kalina said.

The coldest postseason contest at Mile High was 18 degrees for the 1977 AFC Championship Game, when Denver beat Oakland 20-17.

The chilliest home game ever in Denver? That would be 9 degrees against San Diego on Dec 10, 1972.

Being such a meticulous planner, Manning left nothing to chance in the weeks leading up this game. To prepare for the possibility of wintry weather, the four-time NFL MVP wore an orange-and-gray glove on his throwing hand the last two games. Manning has been quite effective, too, with the glove — his completion percentage has been almost 6 points better and his passer rating almost 20 points higher than without it.

The stickiness of the glove also helps Manning better grip the football, especially these days after the multiple neck surgeries he underwent during his season out of football.

“I certainly don’t think I would have had to wear the glove had I not been injured last year,” Manning said. “It’s part of my injury, some things that I’ve had to adjust. I’m in a different body. Some things are different for me, so that’s the reason for that as much as anything.”

The cool weather certainly hasn’t been friendly to Manning, who’s 0-3 in playoff games in which the temperature at kickoff is less than 40 degrees.

And this game will certainly be well south of that number.

“It’s going to be very cold,” Kalina said. “There may even be a few flakes, but it shouldn’t affect the game. Just really cold.”

This isn’t even close to the coldest game in NFL history, though. That distinction belongs to “The Ice Bowl” on Dec. 31, 1967, when the temperature at Lambeau Field reached minus-13 (with a minus-48 wind chill) in a contest between Green Bay and Dallas.

All week, Broncos players boasted about wearing short-sleeves despite the cool conditions. It was simply a matter of convincing the mind it really wasn’t all the frigid.

“Once you get out there, you’re on the field, you’re just fine,” Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas said earlier this week. “But if you’re just sitting around, that’s when it gets to you. As long as you’re out there on the field and warm, you’re good.”

The field should be in solid shape, though, with more than 20 miles of water-heated tubing under the field to keep it from freezing.

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