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The Flames tried their damndest to end a brutal 12-game road losing streak (longest in franchise history) by outshooting Vancouver 38-22, but Miikka Kiprusoff made sure the race to 30th overall was still within reach with another craptasitc performance. Remember at the beginning of the year there was all this talk around if Calgary was going to win at all this year, Miikka would have to be his usual self? Well, Kipper is the worst starting goalie in the league. That’s not my opinion, it’s statistically true.

He’s the worst in save percentage for any goalie who has played more than 10 games this year (.873), and his goals against (3.58) is the worst of any starter. It’s second-worst only to Scott Clemmensen - who is Florida’s number three goalie. Ouch.

Speaking of being one point out of last overall, did you guys know that as of 2013, all 14 lottery teams (teams that missed the playoffs) have a chance to win the first overall selection in the draft? It used to be that you couldn’t move up more than four spots. Now the odds are like so:

30th place: 25.0%
29th place: 18.8%
28th place: 14.2%
27th place: 10.7%
26th place: 8.1%
25th place: 6.2%
24th place: 4.7%
23th place: 3.6%
22th place: 2.7%
21th place: 2.1%
20th place: 1.5%
19th place: 1.1%
18th place: 0.8%
17th place: 0.5%

However, no team can move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Lottery.

Apparently the one goal performance in San Jose just wasn’t enough to end an eleven game losing streak on the road. Although Kipper played well (40 saves), a two-goal third period by the Sharks helped Calgary’s chance at getting 30th place.

I know it’s early, but here are the top three prospects according to three credible sources – and Craig Button.

The Flames put in a real strong performance in their race for 30th overall by giving the Oilers the opportunity to score eight unanswered goals. Yes that’s right. Eight.

It was more than Matt Face-of-the-franchise Stajan could handle, as his slender shoulders can only carry this team so far. Five minutes from the opening faceoff to be exact. The remaining 55 minutes were left to Joey MacDonald, but he couldn’t hang on to a 2-0 lead as he let eight slip by. Yes that’s right. Eight.

Here’s a fun fact, did you know that Joey MacDonald rates 67th in the league in goals against? And Kipper ranks an abysmal 74th? I didn’t even know that there were that many goalies in the league! That means that our two top goalies are worse than all starters AND all backups! AND a half-dozen third stringers!!

Wow.

But I ask you, is there a stronger contender for the first overall pick right now? I think not.

And the race for 30th heats up!

The Flames actually didn’t play that bad in this game verses Edmonton. Yeah they gave up 2 goals on 2 shots, but they were pretty good shots. Kipper did give up a soft one though and you can’t give up 3 goals on 5 shots and not get yanked. At one point Calgary was out-shooting Edmonton 10-2 and was losing the game 2-0.

I thought Calgary out-played the Oil for the majority of the game, but that’s hockey I guess. The twelfth-worst team in the league can beat the third-worst team in the league on any given night.

So let’s see how our race for the top pick is stacking up…

We are currently in 28th, but a sudden 3 game winning streak has put us in a tie with Florida for 29th. Only 2 points back are Colorado, but we have a game in hand. But you know what they say, games in hand only count if you lose (when battling for last).

The fire sale continued on Monday night as the Calgary Flames traded defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues for a first-round pick and two prospects — defenseman Mark Cundari and goaltender Reto Berra.

I have to say, this is one player I’m not super sad to have go. That said, it would have been nice to get more than a pick and two prospects. Since this has been Jay’s best season in the last 5 years, you’d think we’d get at least one young NHLer in return. To make matters worse, Berra doesn’t look like he’ll ever make the NHL and Cundari is far from a sure thing – having missed most of last season with a concussion.

If St. Louis does not qualify for this year’s playoffs, the Flames will receive St. Louis’ fourth-round selection in this summer’s draft, with the first-round pick being deferred to 2014. Bouwmeester, who has an annual cap hit of $6.68 million through to the end of next season, has six goals and nine assists in 33 games in 2013.

In other news, according to several media reports, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been given permission by the Calgary Flames to speak with goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff’s agent. Does Kipper give you anything at all in return, if this is what we get for Iginla and Bouwmeester?

Well this could have been a lot worse. The Flames were badly outplayed and outshot 35-16, but Miikka “you ain’t gonna trade me” Kiprusoff kept it respectable. But the storyline is, and will be for the next week, what will happen to the Flames before the trade deadline.

It’s interesting that Miikka isn’t interested in a trade – if only for a few month rental. I would think that he would want to go out on a high note, rather than just try to keep the lowly Flames out of the basement. Oh well, good for him for putting his family first.

Iginla on the other hand is in a different situation, he can be a rent-a-player for a few months without having to hurt his family, his team, or his fan-base here in Calgary. I can’t see why this deal does not happen. And Chicago seems like the perfect destination for him.

But who really cares about talk of trading our best player and best goalie this franchise has ever known? I know you’re really interested in seeing how I did with my predictions from the last post!

Call me cynical, but I’m not impressed. Why? Because Jonas Gustavsson was brutal for the Wings. Calgary had 5 goals on 22 shots. Also because Calgary is going to have to win three in a row to make up for the three in a row they dropped in California.

Calgary had goal-scoring from the third line of Glencross, Stepniak and Stajan, as well as from Jay Bouwmeester who’s performing himself right into a trade (let’s hope). Roman Cervenka was scratched, presumably because he was tired and not because of his poor play as of late. Kiprusoff had a great bounce-back game after his couple bad performances during the last road trip.

Detroit had five shots and a goal before the Flames could even muster a shot, but when they did it when in. As did another a few shots later. Good thing for us Jimmy Howard fell ill earlier in the day!

And the downward spiral of suckiness continues.

The Flames just didn’t look like they belonged in the same league as L.A. — or Southern California for that matter. Outscored 13-3 in three games? Ouch! That means that a team struggling to get back into the race is 0-5-1 in its last six road games.

Iginla said it best: “This is definitely a big step in the wrong direction.”

Unless that direction is towards the first overall pick, and a rebuild. Sucking is the only requirement of that, and we’ve got that nailed!

Go Flames!