Another example of the changed ways with this season’s Flames was exhibited Saturday in San Jose prior to the 2-1 win over the Sharks, the NHL’s #1 team.

  Before to the game media types suggested its was a “gauge game”.  A number of Flame players I chatted with wanted nothing to do with the “gauge game” theory.  The prevailing thought was ‘let’s go out and show we are better than they are’.

  The thought process being, a “gauge game” suggests you hope you can have a good showing against the top team. Flame players took the posture, ‘we’ll prove we’re better.’

    …And they did.  Competing as hard as they have in any game this season, the Flames stayed with the plan even after they gave up the first goal in the 2nd period.  Soon after Ollie Jokinen would tie the match before Daymond Langkow won it in the 3rd with a superb setup from Rene Bourque.

   While Miikka Kiprusoff was again the Molson Canadian first star, his goaltending adversary, Evgeni Nabokov, was 2nd star in a great netminding duel.  Kiprusoff was just a bit better as both denied numerous good scoring chances.

   Captain Jarome Iginla may have played the best defensive game of his career and his linemates, Jokinen and Nagel Dawes, were also good at defending play against the NHL’s #1 line.  Flame defensemen did a superb job as well keeping the Thornton-Marleau-Heatley unit completely off the scoresheet.

  Flames better than the Sharks?  The season has to play out but Brent Sutter squad is 4 points behind the Sharks having played 3 fewer games. They’ll utilize one of those games in hand Monday in Los Angeles ending the 6-game trip.

   The Flames maturity has advanced the program away from the “hope” stage.  

  The Flames arrived in San Jose on Frday amid a Winter Wonderland — California style.

  Across the street and all around the team’s hotel it’s “Christmas in Park”.

  Artifical snow on the ground, palm trees with Christmas lights, a skating rink, Xmas music, Santa, a Nativity Scene and carnival rides for kids adorn the area.

  Not quite the blizzard, blustery weather we’ve been hearing from back home, but for Flame players a first bit of Christmas spirit.

  Saturday night as the club departs for the HP Pavillion and the game vs the Sharks, autograpgh seekers will join the festivities.

  The Flames’ aim is to be in a festive mood late Saturday evening.  A win over the NHL’s #1 team would achieve that.

  The Sharks have the NHL’s most points, wins and goals. The Flames are 6 points behind but have played 3 fewer games.

  Thus, the importance of Saturday’s clash. It’s not gauge match but rather an opportunity to get closer to the leader.  

  The Flames can’t match the San Jose #1 line of Thornton-Marleau-Heatley, but they may have more overall depth and a better goaltender.

  If the Flames can beat the best on Saturday, they’d have a shot at being the best by Christmas. 

  There haven’t been any “streakers” at Flame games in a while but Brent Sutter’s streaking skaters have quite a few streaks on the line Thursday in Phoenix.

  Rene Bourque returns after missing 6 games with an undisclosed injury. His teammates got points in all 6 games (5-0-1) matching the team’s best points streak of the season.

  Before Bourque went to the sidelines, the team had started their point streak on the road and it now stands at a club record 10 games with a shot at 11 against the Coyotes.

  The Flames have won the last 3 road assignments,  tying a season best.

  The club also has won it’s last 4 games overall.  The 3rd time the club has won 4-straight and now a shot a season best 5.

  The Flames have won their last 4 games in Phoenix and now go for 5.

  Miikka Kiprusoff with back-to-back shutouts has now gone 129:30 without allowing a goal. 

  Nigel Dawes’ 4-game goal streak is on the line against his former team.  At 4 games, he and Jarome Iginla have the team’s best goal streaks this campaign. 

  Bourque will line-up on the #1 line at LW with Ollie Jokinen and Iginla, a couple of guys on personal 3-game point streaks.

  The Coyotes, meanwhile, are endeavoring to extend their win streak to 3.

    Winging to the desert Tuesday the Flames were a loose group after playing 4 games in 6 nights — 3 of them on the road — winning all 4.

    Monday’s 5-0 shutout in Nashville was the best showing of the 26 games the Flames have played under Brent Sutter.  The coach said so. His assistant said so. The media around the team concurred.

   It was a thorough pounding of the Predators, who had entered the game with wins in 8 of 9 matches.  Afterwards Pred fans wondered why their team had been so flat. It was because the Flames didn’t let up in playing the style the coaches have been  preaching since Sept.

   Sutter and company have been telling the crew, “Play this simple system with a defense first committment and our goals and shots against will be great and we’ll score alot.”

   Upon arriving in sunny Phoenix, more good news.  Jarome Iginla has been selected the NHL’s #1 star of the month for Nov. as the team set a team record for Nov. with a 10-2-2 slate.

   While Iginla led the NHL in points during the month with 13 goals, 7 assists and 20 points for 14 games, an argument could also be made for goaltender Miikki Kiprusoff.

   In fact, in the Flames’ Molson Canadian 3 star ceremony after games Kiprusoff was a star in 8 of the 13 games with 6 first star selections.  Iginla was a star in 4 of the 14 he played being #1 star three times.

   A day off for travel and recovery on Tuesday. Then practice Wednesday prepping for Thursday’s game with the Coyotes. The Flames current 4-game win streak started with a 2-1 triumph over the Coyotes on Nov.25 at the Saddledome.

  Contrary to newspaper reports, the Flames current 10-game point streak on the road is a club record. Breaking the old mark of 9.