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Flames, Blues clash in St. Louis seeking first win

Oct 10, 2011 - 2:49 PM (Sports Network) - The Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues both look to bounce back from season-opening losses when the two teams collide this afternoon from Scottrade Center.

Calgary is coming off a 5-3 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at the Saddledome, as Curtis Glencross, Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen each scored for the Flames, who were done in by a four-game second period by the Penguins. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made 32 saves on 36 shots in defeat.

Flames captain Jarome Iginla was in the lineup despite suffering from back spasms and came away with zero points versus the Sidney Crosby-less Penguins.

"The second period is definitely what cost us tonight," Iginla told the team's website. "We got sloppy, we had way too many turnovers, we didn't play good hockey. (Pittsburgh is) a quick team and we can't turn the puck over like that."

Pittsburgh had a 16-5 shot advantage in the second stanza. The Flames are aiming to avoid their first 0-2 start since the 2008-09 season.

Kiprusoff needs one more win to become the franchise's all-time leader and is currently tied with Mike Vernon (262). Iginla is 16 goals off to reach 500 for his career for Calgary, which is kicking off a three-game road tonight against the Blues, Canadiens and Maple Leafs.

St. Louis opened its 2011-12 season with a 4-2 loss at home versus Nashville and will host Calgary tonight before hitting the road for four games against Dallas, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles.

In Saturday's setback to the Predators, Patrik Berglund and Jason Arnott each lit the lamp and goalie Jaroslav Halak stopped 12 of 15 shots.

"It seemed like it was going to be tough to crack the egg at the other end. We're not going to look at this game as anything other than an opportunity gone by and we've got to get better tomorrow," said Blues head coach Davis Payne.

The Blues won their first two games of the season a year ago and haven't started 0-2 since opening the 2006-07 campaign with three straight losses.

Calgary swept the season series from St. Louis a year ago by a 4-0 count and outscored the Blues, 14-3. Six of the previous nine meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal and this is the earliest these teams have met since the seventh game of the 2003-04 campaign.