Flames One Away from First Cup in Fifteen Years

Calgary forward Oleg Saprykin scored 14:40 into overtime of Game Five of the Stanley Cup Finals to lift the Flames to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning and give Calgary a 3-2 lead in the series. The Flames can finish off the Lightning at home and claim their first Stanley Cup since 1989 on Saturday.

Saprykin’s goal came off the rebound of a shot by Calgary captain Jarome Iginla, who had been on the ice for a shift that lasted over 90 seconds. Iginla fired from the left of Tampa Bay goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who made the save but left a rebound for Saprykin. Saprykin put the puck between Khabibulin’s legs to win the game.

Twice the Lightning fought back from being a goal down but they were unable to pick up the win on home ice.

Calgary’s Martin Gelinas opened the scoring just 2:13 into the game on a Flames power play. Tampa Bay forward Martin St. Louis evened things up with 34 seconds remaining in the period to put the score at 1-1 at the end of the first.

Iginla gave the Flames their second lead of the game with 4:50 remaining in the second but Fredrik Modin lifted the Lightning back into a tie 37 seconds into the third, just 6 seconds into a power play.

Khabibulin stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced between the pipes for the Lightning, while Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made 26 saves on 28 shots. Each team went 1-for-2 on the power play.