Flames add Tampa to list of sites conquered with a 4-1 triumph

Calgary posted its ninth postseason win on the road to approach the NHL record.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Vancouver, Detroit and San Jose have company. Add Tampa to the list of road haunts the Calgary Flames have mastered.
Using an ever-improving penalty-killing unit in the opener of the Stanley Cup finals, the Flames scored on one short-handed chance Tuesday night and turned aside four of five power plays in a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Calgary won on the road for the ninth time in the postseason, one shy of the NHL mark established by New Jersey in 1995 and matched in 2000. The Devils won the Stanley Cup each time.
The Flames are 9-2 away from home against division winners Vancouver, Detroit, San Jose and Tampa Bay. They are on a five-game road winning streak.
"Our preparation on the road has been good all season," said Stephane Yelle, who scored in the second period. "When we're on the road, it seems like we're closer and our focus is really good."
Potent power play
But the way the Flames won this time was somewhat surprising. During their five days off before the finals, they learned plenty about the Lightning's potent power play.
They knew it did in the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference finals, and they knew it had to be stopped if the Flames would have any chance for their second NHL championship.
They killed Tampa Bay's first three power plays and yielded one total shot while getting a short-handed, odd-man rush on each infraction.
Captain Jarome Iginla got his rebound during his second short-handed breakaway and scored behind Nikolai Khabibulin to give the Flames a 2-0 lead in the second period.
Iginla scored four of his NHL-best 41 regular-season goals while the Flames were short-handed. He has two in the postseason, one shy of the playoff record.
But it was Tampa Bay that was supposed to dominate such situations.
"When our power play is going, we're holding onto the puck," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "I thought we were a little skittish with it."
Power-play offense
The Lightning scored at least one power-play goal in the final six games against Philadelphia, connecting nine times in 23 chances. Tampa Bay was even better the previous four games, getting seven goals in 14 opportunities.
"We did want to limit our penalties," said forward Chris Clark, who nearly scored short-handed. "When it happens, we have guys out there that are capable of shutting everybody down. We rely on it sometimes and hope to not have to do that."
Calgary was leading 1-0 when Yelle was sent off for interference with 8:28 left in the first period. Tampa Bay didn't record a shot and nearly allowed a goal to Clark.
Things got worse for the Lightning in the second period.
The home fans saw Robyn Regehr's holding penalty as the chance Tampa Bay needed to get even. But again, the Flames didn't allow a shot and almost got a goal from Iginla.
A second chance
He got a second opportunity when Andrew Ference served a hooking penalty. Iginla jumped on a turnover at the Calgary blue line, knocking the puck far ahead to get free. He chased it down and ripped a shot that Khabibulin deflected with his glove.
Before Khabibulin could find the puck, Iginla retrieved it and put it in. It was the third short-handed goal of the playoffs for the Flames, who scored 11 in the regular season.
Calgary's penalty-killers did yield a power-play goal in the third period to Martin St. Louis before holding the Lightning without a shot on another chance. Still, coach Darryl Sutter thought his club could've had a perfect penalty-killing night.
"The play they scored on is a play that they use and we knew that," Sutter said. "We should've been better."
It's been a work in progress for the Flames, who have allowed 15 power-play goals in the playoffs. In its first postseason game in eight years, Calgary gave up four power-play goals to Vancouver in the first round. Another three were scored by Detroit in Game 2 of the second round.
But in the 11 games since, the Flames have killed 37 of 41 penalties.