Brent Sutter revealed Monday that Mark Giordano could be back in the Flame line-up this week — likely Thursday or Saturday.

  ….And while the depleted roster could greatly use his services of their best skater since he went down with that hamstring injury on Nov.29, the club needs to exercise caution.

  The injury is one that can re-occur quickly if not completely healed.  If he’s back playing this week, he’d two weeks ahead of the initial schedule.  That’s why the training staff and coaches are monitoring his progress closely.

  After skating with the regular guys for the second time on Monday, Giordano remarked he “felt great”.  Players always feel great when they are close to a return after a stretch on the sidelines.  They are so eager to play, they may overlook a small discomfort.

  That’s why his return may be a little bit later than sooner.

  At first, when Giordano went out, the team fared pretty good without him compiling a 9-3-3 record but with other players (defensemen and forwards) going to the sidelines the burden has been tough on the Flames.   Accounting for the 1-5-1 record in the last 7 outtings.

  Tuesday’s visit from the Devils is the last games vs an Eastern Conference foe until mid-February.  After that a huge number of games against Western foes they are in the playoff race with.

  Sutter’s crew is 2-7-4 vs East teams this season.  With just a .500 record vs the other conference, the Flames would be tied for 6th place in the West standings.

For the second time in less than 2 years, Jarome Iginla played a major role turning gloom into gold.

After Thursday 9-0 blasting in Boston, one wondered that atmosphere would be like in the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday when the Flames hit the ice against Minnesota.

Rather than rip on the local skaters with jeers, the 19,000-plus came hoping to see history and Iginla made it happen by scoring career goal #500 at 8:33 of the 3rd period.  It turned out to be the winning goal as the Flames prevailed 3-1 over the Wild.

The goal triggered 3 standing ovations for the 34-year-old greatest all time Flame.

It was a play, somewhat similar to what touched off a Canada-wide standing ovation when Iginla centered the puck from the corner to Sidney Crosby for the OTG that earned our country gold as the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. That was just after USA scored in the final minute to force OT.

On Saturday, Iginla’s centering pass went off the skates of 2 Minnesota players before entering the net.

On a personal note, I must admit I cheated on calling the monumental goal.

When the puck entered the net, I hesitated for a mere half second before calling it Iginla’s 500th tally and hearty “Yeah Baby”.  I wasn’t 100% certain the puck hadn’t gone off a Flame player’s skate, but the moment was too great to hold back.  Fortunately, it won’t go down in history as a ”blooper” call that I’d be reminded of for a while.

Instead it will always be among the most “special goals” I have had the good fortunate to call in my broadcast career.

I’ve had the honour of calling the 500th goal notched by 7 of the 42 NHL players hitting the milestone (Lanny McDonald with the Flames in 1989 plus Bryan Trottier, Michel Goulet, Mark Messier, Pat Verbeek and Mats Sundin).  Iginla, though, will always be the only one I’ve had the pleasure of calling all 500.

The Flame first goal as was a history-maker as Lance Bouma, just recalled from Abbotsford scored his first NHL marker in his 17th game at 2:02 of the 3rd.  Curtis Glencross team-leading 17th tally gave the Flames a 3-0 edge before the Wild’s Dany Heatley spoiled Miikka Kiprusoff’s bid for a shutout with 6:19 left in the game.

The Flames are back home and after attending to their family chores now the hockey needs to be getting back in the race for a playoff spot.

After being within one point of 8th place in the West on Dec 28, 5-straight road losses has dropped Brent Sutter’s group 5 points out entering Friday’s action.

Saturday’s visit from Minnesota starts a 4-game homestand part of 24 of last 40 game in the Saddledome.

Falling much further behind 8th over the next week will put a playoff hope in  jeoprady.

The injury won’t offer any good news for the meeting with the Wild. In fact, it gets worse with injury to Scott Hannan sustained in Boston. His absence puts 3 of the club’s top 6 blueliners on the sidelines. It likely opens the door for __ Wilson to make his Flame debut. He was called up a week ago from Abbottsford after the Derek Smith injury.

The last time the Flames saw the Wild, they were leading the NW division. Now they are riding a 6-game losing streak.

‘Embarrassed’ was the most used word in the Flames dressing room following this 9-0 humbling in Boston on Thursday.

The Stanley Cup champs looked like solid favourites to repeat on this night and just about every game since Nov.1.  The Bruins are 23-3-1 since Halloween.

With a full line-up they would be underdogs vs the Bruins, given their injuries and 5-game suspension, the Flames needed some breaks to win in Boston.

They got none.

The Bruins had played the night before and won, 6-1, at New Jersey. They weren’t fatigued. Thursday’s game was just their 3rd in 12 days.

The Bruins have a game Saturday vs Vancouver. There was a theory, they may be looking ahead.
They weren’t.
The Flames got no breaks on the ice either.

First, the Bruins made their own mark 1:11 in when Tyler Seguin scored on rookie goalie Leland Irving.
Then Boston got the biggest break 2:03 later when Milan Lucic, just inside the Flame blueline attempted a cross-ice pass. It hit Flame centre Ollie Jokinen’s skate and went in past Irving.

The kid goalie was rattled and apparently the vet and rookie skaters as well.
The Bruins would get a PPG to take a 3-0 lead to the first intermision.

The Bruins added 3 more goals before the 5-minute mark of the 2nd when Miikka Kiprusoff took over from Irving.

The Bruins would increase the lead to 7-0 before the 2nd period would end.

They got 2 more in the 3rd including a SHG to hand the Flames their worst loss under Sutter.

That’s a season worst 5 losses in-a-row.
The team now heads home for 4-in-a-row.

A turn-a-round must be immediate and consistent otherwise,there could be more ‘embarrassment’.

On effort, Brent Sutter called it the Flames best since Christmas.

Still another loss as special teams were the difference in a 3-1 Washington win.

The coach felt that 5-on-5 the Flames were better than the Capitals.

In that situation, each team scored once.

The Caps set an early tone with a PPG 1:11 into the game with Alex Ovechkin beating Miikka Kiprusoff.

The Caps would also get a 2nd period PPG from Troy Brouwer  before Curtis Glencross would score the Flames lone goal. His team-leading 16th.

But the Caps would come right back with their lone goal even strength.

The Flames failed to produce on 4 PPG chances. The most opportunities in 8 games. Two of them came late in the 3rd period as old nemesis Tomas Vokoun was sharp stopping 18 shots on the evening.

The man who really beat the Flames was Nicklas Backstrom, again. The Swedish centre was #1 star with 4pt when the Caps won, 7-2, in Calgary. This time he was first star again with 3 assists.

Jarome Iginla has 4 shots on goal, most by a Flame, but failed in a bid to get his 500th goal.

He’ll try again on Thursday in Boston against the Stanley Cup champs as the 7-game trip ends.

Coach Sutter remains upbeat noting, “a win in Boston and its a .500 trip.”

Just when you least except it, the Flames have a history of doing the unexpected.

To salvage this, the longest trip of the year, they’ll need to do so again.
After a not so solid showing in Nashville on the first day of 2012, losing 5-3 for a 3rd straight setback, the venture ends Tuesday in Washington and Thursday in Boston.

The potential potent Caps and their captain Alexander Ovechkin are starting to react to the new coach preachings of Dale Hunter. The Caps are 5-2-1 in their last 8 games with the captain notching 7 points in the 8 games.

The Bruins are Stanley Cup champs and playing like it the last 2 months. After a Cup hangover start, the Bruins are the NHL’s best since Oct, 29 with a 21-3-1 record.

The doomsayers may suggest 2 more losses before the Flames head home on Friday.

However before entertaining joining that group, consider.

On Nov.3 the Flames went into Detroit after being blasted 5-1 by Vancouver, it was a 4-1 success vs the Red Wings.

Nov. 15 after being humbled 3-1 at home by Ottawa, Brent Sutter’s squad won 5-2 vs Chicago.

Then, at the end of November after dropping 3-straight on the road, the Flames closed out the journey winning 5-2 at Minnesota vs a Wild team that was then leading the West.

In mid-Dec the Flames lost 4-a-row (0-2-2), amid more anticipated doom, they won 3-straight vs Minnesota, Detroit and Vancouver.

Also, the Flames get the Bruins on the back end of back-to-back games after they play in New Jersey on Wednesday.

So, count out these Flames at your own peril. I won’t.

New York Islanders rarely beat anybody any more.

But the once proud franchise (circa early 80′s) stand proud when it plays the Flames.

That was exhibited again Thursday as the Islanders rallied to beat the Flames, 3-1.

It marked the Isles 3rd straight win over the Flames and 5 of the last 6 including the last 3 at Nassau Coliseum.

Other than that nothing went according to form as Calgary’s win streak ended at 4 against the East’s last place club.

It was the first time since 1998 that the Flames would lose on the Dec 29 date. The Flames had won 5-straight on the third last day of the year and points in 10-straight.

The Islanders are the lowest scoring NHL team but they were a goal above their average and 2 goals better than the Flames on this night.

The Flames have won many games lately after scoring the first goal. They got it again just 1:11 into the match when Tim Jackman got his first of the season. The Flames didn’t get any more.
Andrew MacDonald tied the game early the 2nd period and John Tavares won it early in the 3rd.

The Islanders entered the game having yielded empty net goals in 3-straight and a league-leading 10 times on the season. This time it was the Isles scoring the EHG when Brian Rolston tallied in the final minute.

Brent Sutter felt his team had too many passengers for a 2nd straight game but unlike Columbus on Tuesday, this time a loss.

The Flames also lost defenseman Derik Smith to an ankle injury late in the 2nd period and had to finish with 5 blueliners.  Smith was hobbling with a removable cast after the game.  Anton Babchuk figures to return from his hand injury Friday in Ottawa.

Leland Irving is also slated to have his 3rd start in the Flame nets vs the Sens.

Miikka Kiprusoff was outstanding vs the Isles but Sutter’s plan is to give him a rest Friday.

But that could change.

Jarome Iginla has provided a lot of impossibles in his 16-year career with the Flames.
He was at it again Tuesday in a 2-1 shootout win in Columbus.

The 34-year-old captain scored the tying goal from a virtual improbable angle at 3:06 of the 3rd period. Then he won the shootout as the improbable first Flame shooter.

Not having scored in his previous 10 shootout chances, Iginla got the nod in the shootout. His in almost 2 years when he got the nod from Brent Sutter.

Using a move he picked up from a friend last summer, Iginla beat Steve Mason.

It was the only goal in the shootout and the first time in 5 attempts this season the Flames got a point out of extra time. The last team to do so.

It gave the Flames their season-best 4th straight victory.

Miikka Kiprusoff, back in the nets after a one game, respite was #1 star. He stopped 27 shots in 65 minutes and all 3 in the shootout.

For 2 periods it looked like the Flames might lose a 3rd straight game to the NHL’s last place club.

After a lethargic 2 periods, the Flames were down 1-0 before getting their legs in the 3rd.

Late last night the Flames arrived in New York and face the East last place Islanders on Thursday.

The Flames have lost their last 2 visits to the Island but it not impossible to win in Nassau Coliseum.

Iginla orchestrated a few wins their in the past.

  With back-to-back games on the docket against the NHL’s two hottest team, the Flame injury list is as hot as its been all season.

  Defenseman Brett Carson went back on injury reserve Wednesday making it six players on the list with a home assignment Thursday against Detroit and then a Friday tussle in Vancouver. That’s the most players sidelined at one time this season.

  Carson, who missed all of the pre-season and first 29 games of the season with a back injury, now has another injury issue.  A tough year for the blueliner who the Flames secured from Carolina late last season and signed to a 2-year contract in the summer.

  Fellow rearguards Mark Giordano and Anton Babchuk have been out for the last while plus forwards David Moss and Matt Stajan as well as #2 goaltender Henrik Karlsson.  None are expected back any time soon.

  At least winger Rene Bourque will return from his 2-game suspension on Friday but will be missing vs the Red Wings, who have won the last 4 times they played in Calgary.

  The Flames have also lost 6 of their last 7 visits to Vancouver.

  After the game on Friday, Flames will return home to be with family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day before flying Boxing Day morning to Columbus to start a 6-game run in the East.

  Many media broadcasters, bloggers and tweeters are obsessed with line combination before games always attentively writing down during am skates and passing them along.

  Often these lines get juggled 5-10 minutes into games.  Tuesday it didn’t even get that far.

  Brent Sutter went through the am skate breaking-up Jarome Iginla and Ollie Jokinen as linemates despite the fact each had collected 11 points in the preceeding 9 games. 

  By game time he had the duo back together with Curtis Glencross and the trio did all the offensive damage as the Flames skated to a 2-1 win over Northwest Division-leading Minnesota.

  Glencross got the game’s first goal right off the start of the first period.  Pierre-Marc Bouchard tied the match shortly after before Iginla would score with an assist from Jokinen at 6:02 of the 2nd period.

  Iginla, who also had an assist on the Glencross goal, was a force all night.  He was easily the best player on the ice and had enough chances to have a 4-goal game and reach the 500 career mark.  Instead he now has 497 in his standout career.

  The #1 unit was also solid defensively matched up against the Wild’s top line.

  Mikael Backlund, who in the morning centred a line with Iginla and Alex Tanguay, didn’t figure in the scoring but had a strong two-way game earning #2 star honors.

  The Flames look for another home win on Thursday facing Detroit.  The Red Wings, like the Wild earlier this week, play the night before in Vancouver.  The Flames have won 5 of 6 games this season when the “rested” team.