The other day, I was asked how many points the Flames would need to make the playoffs.

   Typically, I don’t get wrapped up too much in trying to assess point totals because too many intangibles need t be factored.  Especially with the number of teams chasing down the final playoff spots in the conference.

   Flame GM Darryl Sutter has always assessed that if a teams get 12 points every 10 games, that’s enough to get into the playoffs. That’s 96 points with 2 games left out of the 82-game schedule.

   The theory has proved accurate every year since the league resumed in 2005-06. In fact its been a little high every year except one.  That was the ’06-07 when the Flames finished 8th in the West with 96pt.  Last season and ’07-08 the 8th place team had 91pt.  When in ’05-06 it was 95.

   Right now the Flames have 73 points through 66 games. The Flames can’t get to their GM’s target by the end of 70 games on March 17, but by winning all 4 starting Thursday at home vs Ottawa, they’d have 81pt — 3 off the pace.

   However, over the past 4 seasons, the average point total is 93 points.  So the Flames are pretty close to where they need to be for the average.

   However, they can afford very few slip-ups over the final 16.

   In their first 10 games since GM Sutter made his first 2 trades and brought up Mikael Backlund from Abbotsford, they’ve compiled a 6-3-1 record.  That’s 13pts — one more the the 12pt standard.   The second set of 10 would be a better guage. 

First it was a Calgary Sun headline shouting that he was aging.

The accompaning story by Rand Sportak said at age 33 Jarome Iginla couldn’t carry the Flames like he used to.

Then the captain had to play road games at Minnesota and Detroit against teams he had goal scoring slumps against.

Iginla laid it all to rest as the Flames roared back into a playoff spot winning 5-2 at Minnesota and 4-2 in Detroit on Tuesday.

Meshing quickly with centre Matt Stajan and LW Rene Bourque, Iginla had a goal and an assist against the Red Wings, ending a 19-game goal famine vs the Motor City crew. .
Sunday he had 3 goals and a helper vs the Wild, ending a 10-game drought against Minny.

Against the Wings after the scoring the goal to tie the game, Iginla came back to fire the shot 1:31 later that went off Bourque for the winner.
Daymond Langkow scored the game’s first goal and Christopher Higgins the last into an empty net.

The 3-game win streak, the clubs longest since Jan. 5, moves the Flames ahead of the Wings by one point for the last playoff location.

The key now is keeping it going. The Flames host Ottawa on Thursday. Then to Vancouver Sunday.

   If the NHL used the Olympic point system, the Flames would be in a playoff spot heading into Sunday’s action but they also be further away from first place in the NW Division.

   The Olympic hockey point system awards 3 points for winning a game in regulation-time. Two points for winning in OT or a shootout with the losing team in extra time getting one point.

   Here’s a comparison of how the standings would look now  compared to what it would be under the 3-2-1 plan, which will be discussed over the next 3 days at the NHL’s general manager’s meetings. It the Western Conference only.

PRESENTLY                               UNDER 3-2-1 FORMAT

San Jose  93                                  San Jose  128

Chicago  91                                    Chicago  121

Vancouver  80                              Vancouver  113

Phoenix  83                                   Phoenix  110

Los Angeles  80                            Colorado  110

Colorado  80                                 Los Angeles  108

Nashville  75                                 Nashville  102

Detroit  72                                     FLAMES  97

FLAMES  71                                  Detroit  96

St. Louis  69                                  St. Louis  91

Dallas  68                                      Anaheim  91

Minnesota  67                              Dallas  90

Anaheim  67                                Minnesota 90

  Perhaps the most interesting change is in the race for the West Pennant.  Heading into Sunday, San Jose leads Chicago by 2 points.  With the 3-2-1 scheme, the Sharks would have a 7-point advantage.

  All season the Flames have been one of the NHL’s best road teams and that must continue if a playoff spot is to be attained.

  Starting Sunday afternoon here in St. Paul, Mn, the Flames play 11 of their remaining 18 games on the road.  Three of the away games out of 4 will be played this week.

  After the Sunday matchup, the Flames are in Detroit for a key battle for the final playoff spot.  The Red Wings, who play Sunday vs Chicago, are one point ahead of the Flames.  Making Tuesday, essentailly a must win.

   Brent Sutter’s skaters return home on Thursday to face Ottawa before moving on to Vancouver  on Saturday for what will be the Canucks first game back home after ending their NHL record 14-game road trip.  Despite having played their last 11 matches on the road, the Canucks continue to lead the NW Division.  They have a 2-point edge on Colorado and are 9 points better than the Flames.

   Away from the Saddledome, the Flames have a 15-9-6 record.  At home, its a 16-15-3 slate after winning 5-3 over New Jersey on Friday.

   That was just the second time in 38 games, the Flames scored more than 4 goals in a game after doing it 6 times in the first 23 games of the season.

   Sunday the Flames look to end a 4-game losing streak against the Wild extending back to the end of last season.

   Brent Sutter put family ahead of passion and while some in New Jersey were angered, the Devils understood and now just into the 3 quarter mark of the season the Flame bench boss faces his former team for the first time.

   After two seasons where he skippered the Devils to 106pt last season and 99pt in ’08-09, Sutter finally gets to coach again his former team.

   …And he’s in no mood to show his gratitude to Lou Lamoriello for letting him out of the final year of his contract.

   Sutter’s Flames needs points as they set to meet the #3 team in the East on Friday night.

   With one win in 5 games, the Flames were 9th in the West in what is becoming an increasingly crowded scramble for the final playoff spots.

    The Flames are one point behind Detroit for 8th place.  While its unwise to look behind, the fact is St. Louis has tied the Flames with 69pt.  Dallas is one point behind and Anaheim just 2 in arrears and Minnesota is 3pt back. That’s 4pt separating 6 teams with just one playoff spot presently available.  Nashville, which plays in Detroit tonight, is in 7th place with 5 more points that the Red Wings

    Having been shutout 4 times since Jan. 15 — all of them at home — Sutter has made it clear his troops must work hard in order to put the puck in the net.  It may not be easy tonight since they’ll face the NHL’s all-time goalie leader in wins, shutouts and games played, Martin Brodeur.

   Brodeur won his first game back with the Devils on Wednesday since relinguishing the Team Canada #1 goalie position to Roberto Luongo at the Olympics last week.

   Flames hit the road for 2 after their date with the Devils. 

   Wednesday was the day with some unexpected developments, at least for me.

   I didn’t expect 31 trades at the NHL deadline.  Didn’t expect the Flames and Edmonton Oilers to make a trade for the first time ever.  Didn’t expect such a flat performance from the Flames in the 4-0 loss to Minnesota.

   A mere look at the standings on the wall in the Flame dressing room should have been motivation enough considering the team was in 9th place and one point out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

   They ended the night still in 9th and still one point behind Detroit but the race behind team got a little closer.  The Wild, for instance, are now 3 points behind the Flames, who now play 6 of 10 on the road.

   Why Brent Sutter’s skaters lacks energy and commitment was difficult to figure.  Perhaps it had something to do with the style the Wild played where they went into a rope-a-dope style after taking a 1-0 lead with 1:04 left in the 1st period.

   It was a boring style with plenty of icing the puck, but the Flames feel into the trap. It was made worse by the fact the Wild scored just about every time they were able to escape out of their own zone. That was especially evident when the Wild scored twice just beyond the midway point of the 2nd period in less than 4 minutes.

   Hopefully, it was just a one night thing a brief post-Olympic break hangover.

   Friday we’ll find out when Sutter’s former team, the NJ Devils, are in the Saddledome.

   “Iginla to Crosby. Shoots. Scores. Crosby gives Canada gold. Yeah Baby! Yeah Baby! Yeah Baby!”

   Fifteen little words I voiced excitedly going right across Canada either late Sunday afternoon, or early Sunday evening, depending where you were, capped off a fabulous 2-week Olympic experience.

   Now its back to normal. Flames hosting Minnesota on Wednesday.

   How can it be normal? The Flames are out of a playoff spot with 20 games to play.  The Wild is chasing them in standing having two of their next 3 games against each other.  The Flames are still eyeing a first place finish in the NW Division but are 9pt behind Vancouver with Colorado in between them.

   The breakdown of the 20 games left. 11 on road and 9 at home.

   The one certainty is that the Flames have to be better in this final quarter than they been into the time leading up to the Olympic break. Three losses in the last 4 games but the good news was a strong performance in the final contest on Feb. 13 – a most impressive 3-1 triumph over Anaheim.

   On Wednesday, the Flames will honor their medal-winning Olympians.  Jarome Iginla with his gold with Team Canada while Miikka Kiprusoff and Niklas Hagman have bronze from their play with Finland.

    Other Canadian medalists residing in Calgary will be honored prior to Friday’s match with New Jersey.