Flames   Team Page   Schedule   Stats

Lightning   Team Page   Schedule   Stats

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning learned quickly that having the extra home game in a series with the Calgary Flames is no advantage.

Jarome Iginla scored a key shorthanded goal and the Flames tok the opener of the Stanley Cup Finals from the Lightning, 4-1, extending their road winning streak to five games.

Calgary moved another step closer to becoming the second team in the NHL's post-expansion era to win the Stanley Cup without having home-ice advantage in any playoff series. The Flames improved to 9-2 on the road, one win shy of the record set by the New Jersey Devils in 1995 and 2000.

"I think our focus is very good on the road. We don't have any distractions," Calgary defenseman Mike Commodore said. "We stick to our systems, we keep it simple. I think that's why. Maybe it's something else, I don't know, but when it comes right down to it, it's our focus."

For two periods, Calgary neutralized a Tampa Bay power play that went 5-for-7 in the last three games of the Eastern Conference finals. Tampa Bay totaled one shot on its first three advantages, and Iginla got the key goal while killing a penalty with 4:39 to go in the second period.

"They're very skilled guys," Flames center Craig Conroy said. "Watching the last series, that was the difference and we just felt our penalty-kill's got to be the best it can be."

After Dave Andreychuk 's centering pass skipped over the stick of Fredrik Modin , Iginla broke in alone on Nikolai Khabibulin . He had his first shot stopped but tracked down the rebound at the left side of the net and slid it over the fallen goaltender for his league-leading 11th playoff goal.

"I was trying to go top corner, Khabibulin made a great save," Iginla said. "I could see it go up in the air, I stopped to watch it. I thought it might roll in, but I was thrilled when I saw I was going to have another chance."

"I thought we started to get some pressure at that point in the game," Andreychuk said. "It's tough to bounce back from."

Stephane Yelle scored on the Flames' next shot less than three minutes later to make it 3-0. After he and Oleg Saprykin double-teamed defenseman Dan Boyle behind the net, Yelle came around the right goalpost and snapped a shot over the left shoulder of a crouching Khabibulin.

The Lightning came to life on their fourth power play of the game. Boyle missed the net with a blast from the right side, but the puck caromed off the end boards to Martin St. Louis, whose shot from high in the left faceoff circle found room between the near goalpost and Miikka Kiprusoff at 4:13 of the third.

Tampa Bay lost the momentum when Cory Stillman elbowed Marcus Nilson into the boards and received a roughing penalty just 17 seconds later.

"You have to create some things out there. We only had one goal and other than that, it was pretty ugly," Boyle said.

The Flames got back the goal during a two-man advantage in the final minute as Chris Simon put a short backhander by Khabibulin's glove for his fourth of the postseason.

Known for his series-clinching goals, Martin Gelinas opened the scoring just 3:02 into the game on Calgary's first shot.

Defenseman Andrew Ference wristed a shot from the blue line that hit teammate Craig Conroy , Andreychuk and Gelinas' right skate. The puck also struck the left goalpost and Khabibulin's right leg before trickling over the goal line.

"Draw goes back to their point, I go back to block it, it hits me in the back, hits another guy, hits their guy, gets past Khabby," Andreychuk said. "To me, that sounds pretty lucky."

Gelinas' seventh playoff goal sent the Flames on the way to their third straight Game One victory.

"The coaches kind of made us think about our starts," Calgary right wing Shean Donovan said. "We hadn't started too well, we didn't score for a whole bunch of games in the first period. We knew we had to get ready off the bat and how crucial that first goal is."