NHL PLAYOFFS Flames broil Sharks for 2-0 series lead

Calgary scored 20 seconds into the game and posted a 4-1 victory.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The Calgary Flames apparently stored up plenty of energy during seven seasons out of the playoffs.
With a boundless supply of hard work, great defense and luck, they're speeding past San Jose in the Western Conference finals.
Linemates Marcus Nilson, Shean Donovan and Ville Nieminen each had a goal and an assist, and the Flames remained kings of the playoff road with a 4-1 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Third straight road win
With its third straight road victory and seventh away from home in the postseason, Calgary took an improbable 2-0 lead over the second-seeded Sharks, who never recovered from Nilson's bizarre goal 20 seconds after the opening faceoff.
But the sixth-seeded Flames backed up that bit of pure luck with confident, complete play -- and they headed home for two games and a chance to secure their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals in 15 years.
"It's a great start," said captain Jarome Iginla, who added a late goal. "We did just about everything we wanted to do. There's always room for improvements ... but I liked just about everything."
Nilson's shot would have made a pinball wizard proud: It hit Scott Hannan's leg, ricocheted off Jason Marshall's skate and caromed into the net just 20 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Quickest goal
It matched the fastest goal in Calgary's postseason history, but the resulting blow to the Sharks' psyche was even more important. The accidental goal put San Jose in a hole it never escaped.
"It's tough to come back from something like that," Nilson said. "But we did the hard work to back it up, too. We earned the win."
Donovan scored 10 minutes after Nilson's goal. Nieminen and Iginla iced the victory with third-period goals 44 seconds apart.
Game 3 is Thursday night at the Saddledome, where the Flames are just 3-3 in the playoffs. But thanks to a 7-2 road record, they've got a great shot at their first Cup finals since 1989, when they won the franchise's only championship.
In the Eastern Conference finals, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay are tied 1-1. Game 3 is Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Miikka Kiprusoff followed his 49-save performance in the opener with just 17 saves, including a handful of fine stops in the final minutes. With a fast start, puck possession and relentless forechecking -- three of San Jose's hallmarks -- Calgary shocked the sold-out Shark Tank into silence.