Nabokov, Sharks shut out Flames, close series deficit

CALGARY, Alberta — Evgeni Nabokov finally got a victory over his former backup. He also got the San Jose Sharks back in the Western Conference finals.

Nabokov made 34 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs, and Alex Korolyuk had two goals and an assist in the Sharks’ 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 3 on Thursday night.

Korolyuk scored twice in the final two minutes, capping his promotion to the Sharks’ top line. Vincent Damphousse got the first goal for the Sharks, who closed their series deficit to 2-1 with an appropriate mix of desperation and motivation.

After blowing home-ice advantage with consecutive losses at the Shark Tank, the Sharks knew the series essentially would be over with a loss in Game 3. So coach Ron Wilson shook up his lineup, Damphousse scored another timely goal, Korolyuk played a fantastic forechecking game — and Nabokov returned to top form.

Miikka Kiprusoff made 21 saves for the Flames, who were shut out for the first time in the playoffs. Despite the backing of a raucous crowd of red-clad fans at the Saddledome, Calgary dropped to 3-4 at home in the postseason.

Game 4 is Sunday in Calgary, with Game 5 in San Jose on Monday night.

Nabokov rebounded impressively from the soft goals he allowed in a 4-1 loss in Game 2. Despite a few hair-raising rebounds, he didn’t allow any of the Flames’ 14 third-period shots to get past him during the fourth playoff shutout of his career.

As promised, Wilson made changes to his struggling lines: Nils Ekman, a 55-point scorer in the regular season, was scratched after managing just two points in the playoffs. Rookie Marcel Goc again looked good in limited playing time.

The Flames returned home to a city and a nation obsessed by their quest for the Stanley Cup, which hasn’t belonged to Canada since Montreal won it in 1993.