To think Craig Anderson could have been a Flame.

  But as long as it took him to develop into a #1 goalie at the NHL level, Miikka Kiprusoff still likely would have been needed here.

  In June of 1999, at a time when the goalie insisted on spelling his last name with two ‘s’s, as in Andersson, the Flames selected the 18-year old in the 3rd round of the NHL draft.

  Then GM Al Coates couldn’t sign him and Anderson went back in the draft two years later and was taken by Chicago, where he lived in the suburbs while playing in the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

  Coates was at the Saddledome Monday witnessing Anderson’s 44-save performance plus 2 more in the shootout as Colorado won, 3-2. It was Anderson 4th straight win over the Flames this season leaving the teams tied for first place in the NW Division with 58 points.

  Anderson was the lone reason the Avs won the game and the main reason they are at such as lofty standing when most predicted a last place division spot at the outset of the season.

  Anderson is a classic late bloomer. This season at the age of 30 he’s finally a #1 after years as #2 or in the minors.  Most likely if he had signed with the Flames. He would have been gone from the organization long before now and likely before Kiprusoff was acquired in 2003.

  The Flames didn’t play quite as good as they did in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win in Vancouver but very close to it. Clearly deserving the 2 points rather than 1.

  There were a couple of blemishes. The first came in the 2nd period when the Avs scored 2 goals in 3:01 wiping out a 2-0 Flame lead on goals by Dustin Boyd and Rene Bourque.  The Flame PP also faltered going 0-for-4 including a big 5-on-3 advance in OT.

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