Its been 13 unlucky years since the Flame won a game in Buffalo.

   So, on Friday the 13th, the Flames will have a coach behind the bench in Buffalo, who has had great success in the home of the Sabres.

   Brent Sutter in his 2 seasons with New Jersey, coached in Buffalo 4 times and his Devils won all 4 games.

   Overall Sutter, in his first season as Flames mentor, has a 6-2 record against the Sabres with 5 of the games being decided by a single goal — 4 of them in extra time.

   Now Sutter will match wits against long-time Sabre leader, Lindy Ruff, for the first time behind the Flames bench.

   …And the Flames are riding high.  The 1-0 triumph in Montreal on Tuesday was the club’s 4th straight win.  A victory Friday and the Flames would have their longest winning run of the campaign.

   While Sutter has never lost in Buffalo as a coach, Ruff has never lost to the Flames in the city across the river from Niagra Falls, Ont.  Since the Flames last won in Buffalo on March 15, 1996, they have 6 losses and a tie in the Sabres home.

   Having ended a 4-game famine on Tuesday in Montreal as Miikka Kiprusoff won his 200th game notching his 28th shutout as a Flame, now Buffalo is the target and then Toronto on Saturday where the Flames haven’t won since 2000 and have lost 15 of 16 visits.

   Kiprusoff, who has allowed just two goals against in three games, gets the call against the Sabres and quite likely against the Maple Leafs as well.

    That’s Sutter’s decision.  He’s the coach, who hasn’t made many wrong decisions in Buffalo or Toronto.

   He’s a perfert 4-0 in Buffalo and 3-0-1 in Toronto

The goalie was called in and the Captain called out with both having the starring roles in the 3-2ot win at Dallas

Curtis McElhinney wasn’t supposed to be the starting goalie but when Miikka Kiprusoff came down with the flu he was called into the breach.

And what night for the rarely used netminder who made 38 saves including a penalty shot by Dallas captain Brenden Morrow.

Flame captain Jarome Iginla was called out by coach Sutter after Saturday’s setback vs Detroit when he had no shots

Wednesday Iginla rocket of a shot at 1;35 of past Dallas goalie Marty Turco was the difference in the game.

The winner was a PPG after the Flames had gone 0-3 earlier

It was just McElhinney’s second NHL win in 9 start.s but it was his best.

Iginla scored the Flames first goalie and assisted Daymond Langkow’s GTG with 49 seconds left the 3rd.

Thursday, the quick trip ends in St Louis.
The goalkeeper? Coach Sutter says he’ll decide after he finds out how Kiprusoff feels.

  On Tuesday afternoon, the Flames board a plane for Dallas. It’ll be the first time away from Calgary in 20 days.

  Over that time Brent Sutter’s squad played a mere 5 games and had 15 days without games.  A complete imbalance.

  The result, after losing 3-1 to Detroit on Saturday, was 3 wins and 2 losses.  After winning the first 3 much more was anticipated.

  However, the Flame scoring, so strong earlier, dried up with just 3 goals in the final 2 games of the homestand. 

  The club started the homestand 2 points out of first place in the NW Division. Its ends with a 7-point deficit.

  Starting Wednesday in Dallas, the Flames play 23 games in 46 days.  Averaging a game every other day is more like what hockey players are accustomed to but 14 of them are on the road.

  Five of the next 6 are on the road with a pair of sets of back-to-back games involved, including playing in Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday in St. Louis before coming to face NY Rangers on Saturday. Then a 3-game trip east.

  The next time the Flames get a schedule with such few games is the Olympic Break in February when they go 17 days without a game.  Then, it’ll be the same for all other teams.