2009 Calgary Flames Season Update
Posted 3/1/2009
The Calgary Flames hold a decent lead in the Northwest Division over the Vancouver Canucks as they attempt to become a major threat to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.
In what was a much closer race up until a week ago, the Flames put some distance between themselves and competitors thanks to gaining five points from three contests within their division.
Jarome Iginla leads the team with 62 points and a club-high 40 assists. He has been Calgary's top offensive player for several years and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Michael Cammalleri leads the team with 29 goals, including a team-high 14 of the power play variety.
The Flames do have two key players on injured reserve at the moment in left wing Rene Bourque and center Wayne Primeau. Defenseman Mark Giordano is also banged up with an undisclosed injury.
Miikka Kiprusoff has done a nice job in goal for the Flames, giving up 2.76 goals per game with a save percentage over 90.
Kiprusoff has rarely taken a day off, starting 55 games, which is right near the highest in the NHL. Backup Curtis McElhinney has been less than stellar, allowing 3.36 goals per game with a lower save percentage in just the six games he has played.
One concern for Calgary has to be how Kiprusoff will hold up at the end of the season and in the playoffs considering how much time he has seen in the net. Clinching the division early might allow the Flames to give him a much-needed breather.
Calgary remains in a solid position in the Northwest Division, but they can't afford to let up with more than 20 games still left in the season. Vancouver and Minnesota are both looking to charge from behind and catch the Flames for the division title.
The Flames are carrying the hopes of pretty much all of Canada with them, as none of the other NHL teams from the country are having very good seasons.