Flames   Team Page   Schedule   Stats

Sharks   Team Page   Schedule   Stats

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- For the Calgary Flames , there has been no place like the road.

Marcus Nilson scored 20 seconds into the game and Ville Nieminen and Jarome Iginla tallied 44 seconds apart midway through the third period as the Flames took a surprising two games to none lead in the Western Conference finals with a 4-1 triumph over the San Jose Sharks .

Entering with a 6-2 road record in the postseason - thanks to a 4-3 overtime win in Game One on Sunday - the Flames wasted little time taking the lead in this one.

Nilson scored a fluke goal 20 seconds into the first period to tie the franchise record for the fastest tally at the start of a playoff game, set May 6, 1986 by Joe Mullen.

"We have been better on the road and I wish that we could stay here," Nilson said. "It seems like we are more relaxed and we are playing a simple game."

"I think we don't have much pressure on the road," Nieminen added. "We just want to kill their start and be a good defensive hockey club."

Former Shark Shean Donovan gave Calgary a 2-0 edge midway through the first before Alyn McCauley halved San Jose's deficit 5 1/2 minutes into the second.

The Flames locked up their fourth straight win in the third, when Nieminen and Iginla each beat goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to the stick side with wrist shots. Iginla's tally was the first of his career in 15 games against the former Calder Trophy winner.

"That is probably the most games that I have played against a goalie without scoring on him," Iginla said. "He is a great goalie and it is always nice to see one get by him."

The line of Nilson, Nieminen and Donovan combined for three goals and three assists.

"That line was really good," Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. "All three of them were. I mean, they played a lot."

Miikka Kiprusoff made 17 saves for Calgary, which hosts Game Three on Thursday.

"We feel like this is an opportunity for us," Flames center Craig Conroy said. "We'd love to get that 3-0 lead back at home, then just put yourself in the best-case scenario possible."

Nabokov stopped just 16 shots for the Sharks, who have lost three straight at home.

"We've chosen to make it tough on ourselves," San Jose defenseman Brad Stuart said. "We have to get back into (the series) the hard way."

Before many of the sellout crowd at the HP Pavilion could get to their seats, Nilson carried down the right side a fired a harmless shot toward the net from the outer edge of the faceoff circle. The puck glanced off the left skate of defenseman Jason Marshall and past Nabokov for the quickest goal at the start of a game against the Sharks in their playoff history.

"I got a lucky bounce on my shot," Nilson admitted. "It went into the net and it gave us a good start."

Defenseman Mike Rathje prevented Calgary from doubling its lead by breaking up a 2-on-1 with 14:40 left. But Donovan took a feed from Nieminen at center ice and beat Nabokov on a breakaway at 10:35, deking to his backhand before sliding it in for his fourth of the postseason.

"I was going for a line change and (Donovan) was screaming for the puck, so I had to get him the puck," Nieminen said.

"When I was younger, I might have tried to bury my head and go five-hole," Donovan said. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just went blank."

Kiprusoff a pair of saves in the first two minutes of the second period, kicking away Scott Thornton 's backhander from the bottom of the left circle and snagging defenseman Scott Hannan 's slapper with his glove.

But the Vezina Trophy finalist could not deny McCauley, who blasted a one-timer from the left circle into the top right corner of the net at 5:26 to get the Sharks on the board.

Nieminen used Hannan as a screen to score from the right circle at 12:35 of the third, and Iginla netted his seventh of the playoffs 44 seconds later, tying San Jose's Patrick Marleau and Colorado's Joe Sakic for the league lead.

"We've dug a heck of a hole for ourselves," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "But it's not impossible to get out. We have to play a lot better than we did tonight, try to recapture the style of play that made us successful in the first two rounds."