PHOENIX — The Flames flew into the dessert early Friday morning praising Miikka Kiprusoff to the hilt.

  The acrobatic goalkeeper is the sole reason the club escaped Southern California annexing 3 out a possible 4 points.

   Sure, they had to get some goals to win 2-0 Thursday in Los Angeles after bowing 3-2 in overtime at Anaheim on Wednesday, but Kiprusoff played his 2 best back-to-back games of the season.

   Two games facing 76 shots allowing only two goals.  Many of the shots were difficult ones but repeatedly Kipper had opposing players shaking their heads.  He was first star in both games.

   Thursday’s shutout was his 4th of the season and 30th of his career. The game was in doubt up until Rene Bourque’s speed allowed him to breakaway and score an ENG with 36 seconds remaining. Mike Cammalleri scored the game’s first goal at 8:58 of the first period on a PP. It was the former Kings’ 29th goal of the season.

   The penalty killing group, led by Kiprusoff was outstanding killing off all 6 shorthanded situations including a pair of LA 5-on-3′s.

   The young Kings came into the game riding high with wins in 7 of 8 games while scoring 29 goals. The might have extended their win streak to 5, if Kiprusoff hadn’t pulled off great save after great save facing 36 shots.

   It was the Flames first road win after a season  high 4-game losing streak. It was just the second time all season, the Flames won the 2nd half of back-to-back games.

   Coach Mike Keenan rewarded his group with a complete day off on Friday. Saturday its back to business facing the Coyotes.  The game may draw little attention here considering its NBA All-Star weekend here.  The hoop giants can have their spotlight, Kiprusoff is here as the Flames greatest star of the week.

Flames got out of the Calgary snow Tuesday, hibernating to the sun for 3 games in 4 nights.

It starts with back-to-back games in SoCal.

Anaheim on Wednesday and Los Angeles on Thursday.

Two cities separated by a 40-minute freeway drive if you make it late night as the Flames will after the game vs the Ducks.

Two cities with vastly different show biz cultures.

Two cities where Flames game outcomes in recent times couldn’t be more reversed.

In Anaheim, the Flames have lost there last 8  visits to the land of Disney and 1 win in the last 18.

In LA, its the opposite. The Flames have defeated the Kings in 4 of their last 5 visit to Hollywood including one earlier this season.

The Flames haven’t swept games in SoCal since February of 1994.

  In Monday’s blog the suggestion was that one team would  be red faced in the Flames-Canadiens clash.

  The Canadiens were severely red faced as the Flames lit it up for their own faith followers, 6-2.

  It permitted the Flame fans to silence the huge delegation of Canadiens fans, who gave them a run for the money in the cheering department at the start and through the first period.

   ..And on-the-ice the Montrealers gave the Flames a run for their money emerging with a 2-1 first period lead.

   The Habs got badly burned in the 2nd period when the Flames scored 3 goals while outshooting them, 20-4.  It was perhaps the Flames best middle period of the season.  Adding insult was the Flames scored SHG in the Habs first 2 PP opportunities.

   The Flames put it all away with two more goals in the 3rd period.

   So humbled were the Canadiens that their coach, Guy Carbonneau closed the dressing room to the media for 33 minutes after the game. NHL rules stipulate the doors must be opened 5 minutes after the end of the game.  Carbonneau scolded his troops for at least some of that time as the club lost the first game of an important 6-game road trip.

   The Flames head out on a 3-game journey on Tuesday playing 3 games in 4 nights against 3 teams below them in standing — Anaheim, L.A. and Phoenix.

   They depart feeling very good about themselves.

   Red has always been the pre-doiminate color in the Saddledome seating bowl.  Monday night there will be two shades of red watching the Flames and Montreal Canadiens clash.

   Flames red will out-number Canadiens red, but as always, there will be a large delegation of Canadiens followers per usual when the Habs come to town and this will be the first visit since Jan. 19, 2006.

   Both the Flames and Habs have been red-faced lately on-the-ice. The two long distance rivals are both experiencing “dips” presently as both have basically had the same kind of season to this points.

   The two squads both have 64 points. Both are 2nd in their Division, however, the Flames are in much better shape leading the NW Division by 7 points after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Anaheim. The Canadiens are 2nd in the NE Division but are 21 points in arrears of front running Boston. Both have solid home record, both are .500. Both have had impressive runs and others, not-so-impressive.

   Its the former for both heading into Monday.  The Flames 4-game losing streak is their longest of the season. The Canadiens have lost 2-straight and 7 of their last 9 games.

   Star players on both sides have their fans puzzled.  Canadiens’ Alexei Kovalev, a key man for the team last year, is well off his game with all wondering when the real Kovalev will show up. The Flames hope its not tonight. In the Calgary camp there is concern that captain Jarome Iginla has just 2 goals in the last 14 games even though he’s 9th in NHL scoring.

   Flames head out for 3-game road after Monday. They’d like to head on with a victory.

   Chatted on Friday with Theoran Fleury, still the all-time Flame career pointgetter, asking him what he thought of the present Flames 3-game losing streak.

   “They have too big a lead. They have become complacent”, the man who notched 830 points in 791 regular-season games while helping the team win 4 division titles. A Blog comment from Rich also mentioned “complacent”.

   “Complacent” the one word Coach Mike Keenan doesn’t want to this team to have.

   “They have nothing to shoot for right now. The 3 games they played this week were all against teams desperate for wins,” assessed the former captain.

   Last week when the Flames climbed to within 5 points of 2nd place Detroit, the players all talked about catching the Red Wings.  It became the club’s new goal, but in the back of their minds the players likely felt it wasn’t attainable. Ironically, the Red Wings were in the midst of a slump then and have since righted the course. The Flames are in a “comfort zone”.

   Despite the 3 setbacks, the Flames lost just 2 points in their NW Division first place race. Its now 9 points after being 11 at the start of the week.  T

  Should that advantage dwindle significantly by the middle of next week then the alarm bells will go off.  In fact a loss Saturday afternoon to Anaheim might do it.

  In the Flames dressing room following Thursday’s 5-2 loss to Chicago many Flame players made the comment, being critical of themselves, “This was totally unacceptable”. To others around the team, it was “totally unexpected.”

  The scenario was set up for a top performance from the team.  The lectures from GM Darryl Sutter and captain Jarome Iginla in Dallas. Mike Keenan’s stick whacking, breaking and throwing showing dissatisfation with the players at Thursday’s morning skate.   They were playing a Blackhawk team, which had beaten them 3 times previously, twice badly.

  Instead, a third thumping from the young Hawks giving them a sweep of the season series. Plus, 3 consecutive losses in regulation time for the first time this year. Perhaps, the lack of focus in the am skate, was a hint.

  A loss with a solid performance would have been plaitable, but to be outworked and outbattled by the Hawks, in an impportant game was, yes, “unacceptable”.

  Top scorers, Iginla and Mike Cammalleri, had very off night’s.  Not only didn’t they score but they were minus 4 and 3 respectively.  Their line was broken up by Keenan in the 2nd period in an effort turn the team’s fortunes around. Even the PP faltered not scoring in 5 chances.

  Where to go from here?  A rare Saturday afternoon game against Anaheim. Before you jump to conclusions and exclaim “oh know, the Flames never win in the afternoon!”  The fact is, the Flames have won their last 4 afternoon contests including one earlier this season in Nashville.

  You want a positive. There it is.

  Chicago Blackhawks PP is ranked #8 in the NHL, Thus the recent sag by the Flame penalty kill will get put to test Thursday.

  Lost in the furore over the Flame losses at Colorado and Dallas this week was the fact the club’s PK has reverted back to early-season form.

  In the last 6 games, the Flames have permitted PPG in 5 of the 6 games.  They’ve allow 7 PPG in 28 shorthanded situations. That’s 75.8%, a far cry from the 91% clip the team had in the 26 games prior to Jan. 26.  The club has played .500 in the last 6 games, 3-3. All 3 wins at home, all 3 losses on the road.

  Its the 4th and final regular-season meeting between the Flames and Hawks, who both have 64pt — tied for 3rd most in the Western Conference.

  However, in head-to-head play, the Flames have managed just one point out of a possible 6 in the 3 games played thus far.  This is the final regular-season meeting and just in case they meet in the Flames need to send a message.

  In games against the Hawks, Detroit and San Jose the Flames combined record is 2-4-2. It needs to be better than that to gain elite status. Both wins have been vs the Sharks.

DALLAS — The Flames dressing door was closed the media well past the alloted time following the 3-1 loss here Tuesday.

Finally the door opened. GM Darryl Sutter emerged. The look on his face suggested he wasn’t amused with what he’d on this quick 2-game trip.
Soon after Coach Mike Keenan hurried out. His facial expression similiar to his boss.  Keenan breezed by the assembled media without talking. For the first this season begging off from his post-game media scrum.  Associate Coach Jim Playfair filled in.

As the dressing room door opened it was soon learned that Sutter spoke to his players.  GM’s generally have license to address the players twice in a season. Sutter felt it was time to utilize his first.

What was said remains in the room but you can be sure it was rivetting.

Part of the oratation was how the team needed to take its solid home-style game on the road if they are to be considered a top team.

The Flame road record now is right at .500.

This isn’t to suggest the Flames aren’t capable of playing strongly away from home. The best game the club has played this season was in San Jose on Jan. 15 in a 3-2.
That’s also the last time they won on the road.

DENVER — The Flames reverted to some of their old early-season bad habits on Monday in losing 4-3 to the Avalanche.

The shot total against was 42, second highest for the season and the most since Nov. 13 in San Jose in a 6-2 loss permitting 46 shots.

Since that woeful night in Northern California, the Flames have been a potent 3rd period club. Not so against the Avs, who blanked them in the 3rd. The first time in 16 outtings the Flames failed to tally in the final period.

The Flames even scored the first goal before the Avs, desperate for a win, rallied peppering Miikka Kiprusoff with 42 shots.

It was the 2nd loss in 2 weeks in Colorado. The games were similar but much closer this time.
Mike  Keenan was displeased with his team’s showing. The coach noted the club needs to be better on Tuesday in Dallas or they’ll be humiliated by the Stars, who take a 4-game win streak into the match.

   DENVER — After a morning practice at the Saddledome followed by a flight here, the Flames were like most sports fans Sunday evening watching the Super Bowl.

The players relaxed watching the game at the team’s hotel enjoying a calm before 2 road games in as many evenings with a chance to move closer to 2nd place Detroit in the Western Conference.

Having swept their 3-game homestand climbing to within 5 points of the Red Wings with a game in hand, Mike Keenan’s crew faces the slumping Avalanche here on Monday and then on to face surging Dallas on Tuesday.

This is the Flames 8th set of back-to-back matches and they are looking to improve their performance.  Only once have they won both. That was Dec. 16 and 17 at St. Louis and Minnesota. Three times the club has lost both including the last time Jan. 17 and 18 — bowing at home to Phoenix and then 6-2 here in Denver.

That’s the only time the Flames have lost to the Avs this season after 4-straight wins.  The Avs haven’t won since having dropped 4-straight.

The Flames and Stars have met once.  That was Dec. 2 in the ‘Dome, the day Sean Avery was suspended.  The Stars won that contest, 3-1 starting a 14-7-3 run moving them into playoff contention.