923 percent save percentage and 10 shutouts

However, this year, he's playing his best hockey since his stellar 2005-2006 season. With the Flames returning to a game that reduces the stress placed on him, the Finnish netminder has returned to his brilliance that he displayed under Darryl Sutter's system. That season, Kiprusoff stole the show, winning both the Vezina and Jennings after racking up 42 wins and posting a 2.07 GAA, a .923 percent save percentage, and 10 shutouts.It's been hard to get pucks past him recently, and if the Flames can continue to make life easier for him, he will give them a great chance to win every night that he plays. His current GAA, save percentage, and number of shutouts and wins all rank in the top five in the NHL among starting goaltenders right now, despite having faced around 100 shots more than several in that select company.Another surprise this season has been the play of backup Curtis McElhinney, or maybe the team in front of him. After only managing one win over the two previous seasons with the Flames, McElhinney has proved to be solid in games where Kiprusoff needs a rest. His play has allowed Sutter to reduce Kiprusoff's previously burdening workload.I actually saw McElhinney win a game live for the Calgary Flames almost single-handedly when they came here to the Big D to play the Stars at the American Airlines Center on Nov 4.

It was a very impressive showing by McElhinney, stopping 38 of 40 shots (including a penalty shot by Brenden Morrow) and winning the game in overtime. For the record, not a good idea to taunt fans of the home team in their own building in Texas Been there done that. 5. Competitiveness and ExperienceYou can tell that the Flames are tired of underachieving. You can hear it in the way they talk, the way they play, and the way they respond when they lose. The core that Darryl Sutter built the team from has been around long enough to understand what they mean to the city of Calgary and Southern Alberta, and what's been expected of them since 2004.Finally, we're seeing them play to win. I find it great to see the way they work hard every night, and when they lose, they get right back on track They play physically, they play with energy, and they don't constantly lay back for 40 minutes a game the way they used to. If it's any testament to the heart that the Flames have been showing, one fact is that they're leading the league with 30 fighting majors.

While I understand many fans find fighting irrelevant to the game and believe that the slugfests on skates have no place in hockey, it's part of the team mentality and that mentality wins them games.Take a look at the game against San Jose on Saturday night. The Flames set the tone, got fired up early from the rough stuff, played a hard-nosed game, and came out with a win. I don't know how anybody can dislike the collective chip on their shoulder that the Flames have been playing with (unless you're a Canucks fan, I guess). Personally, it shows to me that they are sick of mediocrity and want to be the team they should be.In addition, we have major pieces of our team that are playing in the prime of their careers. Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Robyn Regehr, and Miikka Kiprusoff are all veterans in the league and know what it takes to win, and three of them have done it before.Players like Dion Phaneuf, Dustin Boyd, and Nigel Dawes are still only going to get better throughout the season.

Then you have guys like Craig Conroy, 38, who is still playing with the desire to win. The passion and energy is there for a great run. These are the five main reasons that I have more faith in my Flames than Bill Belichick does in his fourth-down offense. Overall, I think the Flames this year have put together a winning recipe I can't wait to see what it cooks up.. Enhanced Oil Resources Inc.