Are the Flames a Resurging Team?

Well, it is almost a full month into the season. Teams have stumbled right out of the gate while others have been able to start off well.

You could say the Calgary Flames are one of those teams to start off on a decent track. After finishing horribly last season with no playoff appearance, it seems like the Flames came into this season with a goal: to get back into the playoffs and hopefully get back to the Stanley Cup.

Now I wouldn't say they're going to ultimately win the entire Stanley Cup but right now, they have a slight chance. But competition will play a factor down the stretch. Right now, let's look at the Flames and see how they got this far.

The Edmonton Oilers finished last in the entire NHL last year, so it was no big problem for the Flames. They are so far 2-1-0 against them, that one loss coming in a 4-0 drubbing in Edmonton. But they've won two at home including a shootout win tonight. They shut out the Sharks 4-0, beat Columbus in Columbus, made a decisive victory over the Kings, and got a win in overtime in Nashville. Pretty good, right?

Well, the Flames did have some bad losses maybe a few that came back to haunt them, but definitely didn't hurt them. As I said before, they lost their opening game 4-0 in Edmonton. They got shut out by the Panthers at home 3-0. Then they lost in Detroit 4-2.

That doesn't sound bad, though, except maybe for the Panthers. We wouldn't expect the Flames to win every game against Edmonton, and Detroit's always a strong team that manages to beat the Flames. But there's absolutely nothing bad about that.

Rene Bourque is a strong presence tallying six goals and two assists, Curtis Glencross is starting to have an impact, Jarome Iginla and Craig Conroy play like complete stars for this team, Alex Tanguay is a strong player in his return to Calgary after playing in Montreal and Tampa Bay, and Miikka Kiprusoff is doing superb in net.

The Flames are going to be a big threat to the Western Conference and maybe even will compete with the Canucks for the top spot in the Northwest Division. But maybe things are going to change. After all, the Washington Capitals visit on Saturday and then the Red Wings come to Pengrowth on that following Wednesday.

Is there a chance the Flames are going to resurge though? Only time will tell and how well they play against good teams from both the West and the East. Saturday's matchup between them and the Capitals will be a must-watch. We'll know by this time if they can be a serious threat to the powerhouses in the Western Conference.