• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Flames aim to snap two-game skid vs. Blackhawks

Mar 16, 2008 - 1:07 PM Calgary (36-25-10) at Chicago (34-31-7) 3:00 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) - Jarome Iginla and the Calgary Flames try to avoid a third straight loss Sunday when they face the Chicago Blackhawks.

Iginla scored twice on Thursday, but Calgary allowed three goals in each of the final two periods in a 6-4 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers. Backup Curtis Joseph allowed five goals as Miikka Kiprusoff was given the night off.

That setback has the Flames looking to avoid their first three-game skid since dropping four straight at the start of January.

The Flames are two points behind Minnesota (38-26-8) and Colorado (39-28-6) for first place in the Northwest Division, and are jumbled in with a slew of other teams vying for one of the last two playoff spots.

If Calgary is to make the postseason for a fourth straight season it will have to hold off at least four teams - one of them being the Blackhawks, who trail it by seven points.

Chicago snapped out of its offensive funk with a 6-3 win over Columbus on Friday. Patrick Kane, Andrew Ladd and Cam Barker all had a goal and an assists for the Blackhawks, who have gone four years without reaching the postseason.

Chicago posted a 3-1 win in the last meeting on February 7, and leads the season series 2-1.