NHL PLAYOFFS Sharks shut out Flames; Lightning win, 4-1

San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov rebounded from Tuesday's loss.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CALGARY, Alberta -- With Evgeni Nabokov back on top of his game, the Calgary Flames' path to the Stanley Cup finals looks much more treacherous.
Nabokov made 34 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs, and Alex Korolyuk had two goals and an assist in the San Jose Sharks' 3-0 victory over the Flames in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night.
After winning the first two games in San Jose, the sixth-seeded Flames seemed ready for a quick resolution and a chance at the franchise's first championship since 1989. Their fanatical fans certainly expected something big, packing the Saddledome and nearly grinding Calgary to a halt while everyone watched the game.
But Nabokov has bounced back quickly from nearly every poor performance this season, and he kept the Flames frustrated.
On the other end, Korolyuk set up Vincent Damphousse's opening goal and scored one of his own on a breakaway -- the first of two goals in the final two minutes.
Facing near-certain elimination with a loss, the Sharks played with an appropriate mix of desperation and motivation.
"They had a big atmosphere and big expectations, but I think we came in and shut it down," Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren said. "This was one we had to have, so we went out and got it."
Despite a few hair-raising rebounds, Nabokov didn't allow any of the Flames' 14 third-period shots to get past him during the fourth playoff shutout of his career.
He was left unaided by San Jose defensive lapses on most of the eight goals he allowed in the first two games, but the Sharks were solid in Game 3.
"We played more of a patient game," Nabokov said. "They've been doing a pretty good job for the whole three games. They were shooting the puck, and they were rushing the net. But today, we didn't have that many rushes against us, and that's why we were controlling the play in the defensive zone."
Damphousse scored on a backhander midway through the second period. With 1:50 remaining in the third, Korolyuk slipped behind Calgary's defense during four-on-four play and scored on a breakaway.
Lightning 4, Flyers 1
PHILADELPHIA -- Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 24 shots and Cory Stillman, Ruslan Fedotenko, Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards scored for Tampa Bay, which improved to 5-0 on the road in the playoffs. The Flyers were 6-0 at home this postseason.
The Lightning quickly rebounded from a 6-2 loss in Game 2, scoring two goals in a span of 2:24 to take control in the first period.