AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan

Mikael Backlund, Blake Comeau and Lee Stempniak all scored for the Flames in the first period. Despite what the shot statistics may show, it was a lop-sided affair, with Calgary dominating all over the ice. The Flames headed to the dressing room with a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

The Oilers pushed back hard in the 2nd, but couldn’t beat Miikka Kiprusoff who, true to Kipper form, stopped all nine Edmonton shots. Stempniak added his 11th goal of the season with 36 seconds left in the period, giving the Flames a 4-goal lead. During the 2nd intermission, Edmonton’s coaching staff replaced Nikolai Khabibulin with Devan Dubnyk. Unfortunately, for Oilers fans, it did nothing to help.

Andy Sutton finally beat Kipper 4:24 into the third period, but the comeback was short-lived. A couple minutes later, Darcy Hordichuk took a stupid penalty, putting the Flames on the powerplay for the 4th time in the game. On the powerplay, Jay Bouwmeester tipped Jarome Iginla’s point shot and it went off the post and bounced in off Devan Dubnyk. It was originally called as Iggy’s goal, but the replay showed that Jay got a piece of it.

With time winding down in the game, Ryan Smyth tipped a shot over Kipper’s shoulder, but it wouldn’t prove to be enough for the deflated Oilers. To add insult to injury, the Oilers pulled their goalie late in the game (the score was 5-2 at that point) and gave Stempniak an easy chance to get his 3rd goal of the game. In a very selfless move, Olli Jokinen stole the puck in the Oilers end, had a chance to score on the empty net, but passed the puck back to Stempniak to allow him to notch his 2nd career hat trick and seal the victory.

The win gives the Flames 5 of a possible 6 points on their three-game road trip and more importantly, keeps Calgary within striking distance of both Colorado and Los Angeles who hold down the last two spots in the Western Conference playoff race.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Kings captain Dustin Brown opened the scoring 3:28 into the first period when he found a bouncing puck on his stick right in the slot. He wasted no time firing the puck past Miikka Kiprusoff’s stick to put his team up 1-0.

Not to be outdone, Jarome Iginla evened the score with an absolute rocket from the side boards midway through the 2nd period. It was Iggy’s 502nd NHL goal and it was a ripper.

A good indication of the excitement of the game was indicated on Twitter again. Instead of really keying in on the magnificent play of our Calgary Flames, fans chose to focus on that stupid Panago pizza commercial and the Telus guy “with both eyes”. Yes, it was one of the more memorable moments in my Calgary Flames fan history.

All sleepiness and joking aside, the win was a big one for the Flames who have 3 points in the first two games of their three-game road trip and are now only 2 points behind 8th place Colorado in the Western Conference playoff race.

The road trip concludes on Saturday night in Edmonton.

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

After a scoreless first period, Chris Butler finally found the back of the net for his 2nd goal of the season midway through the second. It was an absolute laser of a slap shot that beat Sharks goalie Niemi to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

The 1-0 lead stood until the middle of the third period when Torrey Mitchell put a rebound past Kipper into the Flames net. The rest of the third period was a hard-fought battle with many chances for both teams, but Niemi and Kiprusoff proved to be better and sent the game to overtime.

In the extra frame, the Flames dodged a bullet when a goaltender interference call negated a San Jose goal. After the Sharks piled out on the ice to celebrate, the refs conferred for a few seconds and called off the goal. But it would prove to be of little importance as the Sharks would eventually beat the Flames in the shootout.

Of note in the match was an upper body injury suffered by Curtis Glencross who left the game and did not return. This is a serious blow to the Flames because Scoreface has been very hot lately and leads the team with 18 goals. They have struggled to find the back of the net recently so this will certainly not be a good thing for Calgary.

The Flames continue their road trip with a game in LA on Thursday.

Photo: Gerry Thomas | Getty Images

Into the 1st period, the Flames brought on immense pressure as they looked confident wearing red at home.

It was noticeable through out the evening that the style of play was oddly similar to each other. Fans could tell two brothers were in the house governing opposite teams.

And with no scoring, and only really a penalty handed off at one a piece, it was the 2nd period that set the pace for the Kings win.

Not even 27 seconds in, Mike Richards scored his first in 10 from an unfortunate Giordano give away, awarding Penner and Scuderi the assist.

Kiprusoff gained his composure, but it was not enough as Greene slapped one through traffic on an offensive push from the Kings.

Quick, who was easily the 1st star of the evening, stopped 29 of the 30 shots from the Flames. Half way through the 3rd, Glencross was robbed on a massive stretch pass from mid-ice, one where Quick seemed to put good use to his name.

However, after some hopeful Flames pressure, Kostopoulos received two for Cross checking and Kopitar furthered the lead with a power play goal.

It was a long battle for a minute after the 3 unanswered as Cammalleri, who posed a -2 on the night, scored the only Flames goal of the game coming on the man advantage.

And if this isn’t ironic enough, it was a deflection from the crease, where he even managed to break the blade off his stick that scored the lone goal.

If that is not considered accepting your welcome back, I don’t know what is.

There was a glitch on the network score counter, purposing the Flames were only losing by one as it read 3-2 for over a minute. I thought that was a good omen. I was wrong.

The 3rd consisted of an 40-60 ratio in shots, as the Flames mounted pressure but never had enough steam it seemed to get the job done. 
Brown scored the easy empty-netter with a minute left to give the L.A. Kings and the older brother Sutter the bragging rights — plus the two points earned.

Welcome back, Mike Cammalleri. The Flames needed you!

This all in exchange for the struggling number 17, last year’s fifth-round draft pick Patrick Holland and a second-round draft pick in next year’s 2013 draft.

The night before this bizarre trade, the now number 93, (the second Flames player to wear a number in the 90′s, besides Nylander) Cammalleri had made a comment via Twitter saying the Canadiens were simply ‘playing like losers’ — this due to their ‘losing mentality.’ This after a hasty loss.

He told reporters before the morning practice that he felt justified (and politically correct) in expressing how his team had been playing as of late, and though his public remark wasn’t needed it was definitely the tip of the iceberg.

Montreal was to play in Boston the next night — and it was mid-game the Habs GM made the lopsided trade to Calgary.

A bad break-up possibly? You could imagine both parties sleeping on it while the media continues to, from every angle, explain what was really said by him, but… Cammalleri was pulled off the ice mid-game (something never done before) and sent back to a hotel. Rumors then heightened and the news was broke during the end of the 1st period in Calgary.

What a shocker. Can anyone smell trade deadline yet? I sure can.

Cammy had signed a five-year, $30-million contract not long into his Montreal career with hopes of staying with the organization. Recently his family had purchased a house, one not even moved into yet.

But there is no denying Cammalleri’s plummeting record since he had left the Flames franchise in the 2008-09 season — producing a record 87 points in that season.

The only reason Cammalleri never stayed on board with the Flames that season was because of ole’ man Sutter. Or else he might of not went anywhere to begin with.

In addition to Cammalleri the Flames acquired a familiar face to Feaster, that being Karri Ramo, a former Tampa Bay prospect net minder whose been playing dominantly in the KHL for the last three seasons.

Though both A and B goalies for the Flames have signed on for the next year already, Ramo’s young age could be a real asset for both trade bait or a possible replacement in back up options.

There is no denying Calgary is the winner in the trade even if we are losing a player that so many fans have grown accustomed to adoring.

To Bourque it was a major surprise, expressing to the media that he was shocked to be traded – that he had no idea it was coming. He suspected one when he was pulled upstairs by Feaster right before last night’s nail-biting win at home against the Ducks, and after he had heard Cammalleri was pulled mid-game against Boston he said.

It is no surprise that Bourque’s inconsistency, and unfortunate suspensions had sent him to the Canadiens. Though he was battling a flawed 2011-12 season, Bourque when playing to his potential, is a gritty-garbage-goal scorer, and something Montreal could honestly benefit from.

So out with the underachieved, and in with the re-hope-to-achieve.
To me this trade doesn’t say a re-build is in the works, in fact it shows the Flames are serious about a play off rush. He isn’t our total solution, thought he might be a band-aid for the 2012 season, it is real uncertain where the Flames are going to end up once the dust settles late in the season.

Mike Cammalleri will start during Saturday’s anticipated game against the L.A. Kings and for a real twist, against his former GM and coach, Darryl Sutter.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh

Jones capitalized on a rebound and chipped a backhander over Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller to seal the win.

As usual, Miikka Kiprusoff stood on his head to help the Flames get the win. Kipper came up with many big saves in the game, including a huge one on Ducks captain, Ryan Getzlaf, as time wound down in the 3rd period. In total, Miikka stopped a total of 23 goals to record his 3rd shutout of the season.

What else… what else…

Oh! There was a blockbuster trade tonight. In case you didn’t hear about it, The Calgary flames acquired goaltending prospect Karri Ramo and a 5th round pick in the 2012 in exchange for Patrick Holland and a 2nd pick in the 2013. Also included in the deal were Rene Bourque, going to the Habs, and Mike Cammalleri, who is coming back to the Flames. The trade was a strange one. In addition to it happening while Ramo was sound asleep in his bed in Omsk, Russia, the trade was finalized during the 2nd intermission of the Habs-Bruins game, so Cammalleri ended up being traded in the middle of a game.

The only thing that would have made the trade more weird would have been to see a Cammalleri traded to the Bruins… and to have him come out in a Bruins uniform in the 3rd period.

OK, enough of the BS. Tonight’s game was secondary to the trade stuff, and it was pretty boring actually. But the good news is that we walked out with 2 points and a very serious prospect of supporting Iggy with some primary goal scoring.

Michael Cammalleri has been traded back to the Calgary Flames

After playing the first two periods in Montreal’s game against the Boston Bruins, Cammalleri was apparently told not to come back on the ice and was sent to the team hotel instead. The rumours started to flow about where he was going. Louis Jean, with Sportsnet in Montreal, broke the news that this he was headed back to Calgary via Twitter. He followed it up with another tweet indicating that Rene Bourque is going the other way.

Shortly afterwards, the Calgary Flames made it official and confirmed that Cammalleri was, indeed, coming back to the Calgary Flames.

Here are the details: The Flames get centre Michael Cammalleri, goaltending prospect Karri Ramo and a 5th round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The Montreal Canadiens get forwards Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland and a 2nd pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

This is the best news I’ve had all day. I am a huge Cammalleri fan and was very sad when Flames GM Darryl Sutter didn’t re-sign him. Instead, we replaced him with Olli Jokinen’s huge salary and under-achieving play. It’s taken a few years, but Olli has now redeemed himself, especially now that his salary is sooo much less.

While I enjoyed watching Rene Bourque play in a Flames uniform, his inconsistent play left something to be desired. I don’t have any ill feelings towards Rene and wish him the best of luck on his new team.

Flames (or Habs) fans… what do you think of this trade? Leave a comment below.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh

Calgary’s captain assisted on Jay Bouwmeester’s opening goal, then added another assist on Curtis Glencross’ 3-0 goal just before fighting Adam Henrique in response to a big (but clean) hit. To complete the Gordie Howe hat trick, Iggy added an insurance goal for the Flames in the 3rd period. Iggy’s 501st NHL goal made it 6-3 and gave the Flames the buffer they needed to seal the win and take the two points.

Sean Kelso, Media Relations for the Calgary Flames, sent this tweet shortly after Iggy’s goal:

The fight wasn’t the biggest fight of his career, but it did allow the Flames to maintain their momentum through the end of the first period. Henrique caught Iggy looking the other way and hit him with a solid bodycheck. Glencross got up in Henrique’s face, and after a bit of roughing, he stepped back to allow Jarome to fight for himself. No stranger to fighting, Iggy laid a few punches on Henrique before the youngster ended the fight early by clinging onto Iginla and dropping to the ice.

The Flames also had goals from Cory Sarich, TJ Brodie and Lee Stempniak. Their 4-goal lead was narrowed a couple times by the Devils, who mounted a lot of pressure during the 2nd and 3rd periods. Calgary only managed a total of 6 shots on goal in the final two frames.

New Jersey’s goals came from Ilya Kovalchuk, Adam Henrique and Zack Parise. I hadn’t seen Henrique play much before and I was very impressed by him. He is definitely making a name for himself in his rookie season and has 13 goals and 32 points. He can also now tell his grandchildren that he got a Gordie Howe hat trick in the NHL by fighting Jarome Iginla. That’s no small potatoes.

The win was the 7th in a row at the Saddledome for the Calgary Flames. They host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the L.A. Kings on Saturday.

Jarome Iginla's 500th NHL Goal. (Photo by Mike Ridewood/Getty Images)

The goal was Iggy’s 80th game winner of his career and also his 500th goal. It caused the Saddledome crowd to erupt into chants of “Iggy, Iggy, Iggy!” and gave the Flames a much-needed boost to win the game. Putting the goal into perspective, Iggy has now scored 80 game-winning goals. Wayne Gretzky, the all-time NHL goal-scoring leader, had 91 game winners in his 894 goals.

It was certainly a proud moment for Jarome Iginla, and also overshadowed Olli Jokinin’s 1000 NHL game celebration (which happened in Nashville last week) and Brent Sutter’s 100th win with the Calgary Flames.

The game got off to a slow start, remaining scoreless through 2 periods. It wasn’t until 2:02 of the 3rd period that the Flames broke the 0-0 stalemate when Lance Bouwma scored his 1st NHL goal. Bouwma’s goal gave the Flames a boost and they pressed for much of the next 6 minutes until Iggy’s goal. About a minute before he scored his 500th, Iggy fired a close-range shot off the crossbar and you could see that it fired him up and that the big goal was coming.

After Iggy’s eventual game winner, Curtis Glencross added to the pile by scoring his 17th of the season. It put the Flames up 3-1 and secured the win, though Calgary only needed 2 goals for the win tonight thanks to Miikka Kiprusoff.

Dany Heatley scored the lone goal for the Wild with just over 6 minutes remaining, but it was too little, too late… as the cliche goes.

So what can we learn from this 3-1 vistory?
1) Jarome Iginla is the greatest Calgary Flames player of all time (with all respect to the other greats over the years).
2) A 9-0 loss means nothing when you follow it up with a big win.
3) It sometimes takes a rookie to spark the veterans to great things.
4) Mikka Kiprusoff is also the man. Don’t think for a second that he would let Iggy score his 500th in a losing effort.

Photo by Mike Ridewood/Getty Images

At 8:33 of the third period, Iginla shot the puck towards the Minnesota Wild net and it bounced off Mikko Koivu’s skate and into the net past Nicklas Backstrom. The Saddledome crowd erupted, as did Flames fans watching at home across the country.

Iginla’s 500th goal also gives him the distinction of being only the 15th player to score 500 NHL goals with the same team. Iggy has been a fixture in Calgary for many years and his goal immediately sent both “Iggy” and “Jarome Iginla” onto the Twitter trending topics list. Also of note: of Iggy’s 500 goals, 80 of them are game-winning goals. To put it in perspective, Wayne Gretzky had 91 game winners in his career.

The only other active 500+ goal players in the NHL at the moment are Jaromir Jagr and Teemu Selanne.

Here is the video of the goal:

If you’re browsing on mobile, you won’t be able to see the next video, but it’s my preferred way to watch Iggy’s #500 goal, thanks to Hall of Famer Peter Maher’s voiceover on it. It’s about 1000 times better than the CBC guys on the YouTube version. Enjoy!

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Calgary Flames continued their 7-game road trip with a 3-1 loss in Long Island on Thursday, December 29, 2011. Here are the game highlights:

Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images

Here are the highlights from Tuesday, December 27th match between the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Calgary won 2-1 in the shootout.