Nine straight games with at least a point. One more to tie a franchise record.
The Flames have an excellent road record this season (9-1-3). If they can continue that roll Monday in Nashville, they'll not only equal the franchise mark, they'll ensure themselves a .500 record during their six-game road trip -- the longest of the season.
Calgary's secret to success is quite simple. The Flames not only have received excellent goaltending throughout this stretch from both Miikka Kiprusoff and Curtis McElhinney, they've also shown resilience when needed and timely goals from several players.
"It's what we did tonight -- try to stay with our game as much as we can," said head coach Brent Sutter. "We don't have to be a fancy team. Stay with our game, play to our identity, and when we do that, we have success. We've gotten in trouble at home by getting away from those things."
The Flames have won three straight overall and have gone 4-0-1 in eight nights since being blasted 7-1 by the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 19.
"A lot of confident guys in there," said Dustin Boyd. "There are so many names. I think we have to keep building on that and keep going."
FLAMES 4, BLUE JACKETS 3 (SO): A night of firsts finally helped the Flames win in Columbus again. The Flames won in the Ohio capital for just the fifth time in franchise history and the first time in almost two full calendar years, with a couple of unsung heroes making their mark.
Goalie Curtis McElhinney started for just the third time this season and came up with the win in his first NHL shootout. Jamie Lundmark scored in his first NHL shootout attempt to collect the winning goal after the Flames scored two goals 79 seconds apart in the final six minutes of the third period to force extra time.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.