Monthly Record: : 5-3-2-0, 12 points

Tomorrow another season begins for the Calgary Flames, and with it the questions begin as well. The biggest question heading into the preseason was where is the scoring going to come from? Results from the first few exhibition games seemed to confirm those fears as the team managed only five goals in their opening four games. But once Conroy and Iginla hit their stride, and Chris Drury arrived for the final two matches, the goals starting coming in a big way - to the tune of 16 in their last four preseason games.

PREDICTIONS: Marc Savard will be traded following Saturday's game against Philadelphia for a 4th/5th defenceman. Petr Buzek becomes the 7th defenceman when Leopold returns from injury ... Chris Drury finishes the month of October in the top ten in league scoring, along with Iginla and Conroy ... Roman Turek has a stellar month, with a GAA below 2.00 ... Toni Lydman shows he is more than capable of handling the roles of top offensive defenceman ... Rob Niedermayer finishes the month with only two assists despite the promotion to the second line that follows Savard's departure. The team tries Drury on the second line, which results in a mini-slump near the end of the month.

Monthly Record: : 5-3-1-1, 12 points

Some teams make changes over the off season. The Calgary Flames shook their core to the bone.

But now ... with the dust settling on an opening night roster the challenge falls to the on-looker to determine the results.

Are they a better team? A team that has taken a step back? Have positive moves in some areas weakened the club in other areas to the point where the moves are negated?

We'll see.

For my money I like the new edition. They won't have the Detroit Red Wings shaking in their boots - though they should given the clubs history from last season - but they do appear to be a more professional, deep, consistent bunch. 

The play of the greatly altered squad in their final two preseason games against Edmonton has the city talking hockey once again, but those Edmonton lineups were missing their share of regulars.

Like any recent addition; this year's Flames have their quota of "ifs" needed to be answered positively in order to get to the promised land. This year, however, the "if" total seems to have shrunk.

Look for a solid start from the homeside, tying a well played game to open the season with Vancouver then upsetting the Hitchcock driven Flyers.

When the month comes to a close to the Flames will be in the thick of things, where they should remain all season.

Chris Drury will continue his torrid preseason pace, by notching 13 points in the opening month, including five goals. ... Jordan Leoopold's concussion will prove worse than imagined, forcing him to miss the club's first three games. ... Marc Savard will survive the month as a Calgary Flame, squashing the rumour mill of late that has him on the way out of town. ... Jamie McLennan will make his first start against Chicago, picking up the win. ... Micki Dupont will be returned to Saint John midway through the month when the Flames add a veteran blueliner. ... Toni Lydman will out score Derek Morris in October.

Monthly Record: 5-4-1-0, 11 points

The Flames will be thrown right into the fire this season, with 10 of their first 13 games coming against teams which were .500 or better last season and another contest against Dallas, a squad almost certain to finish near the top of the heap this year.

Duplicating last year's phenomenal 13-2-2 start, therefore, is probably out of the question.

In fact, coming out of the opening stretch this season at .500 might be a more reasonable objective, allowing the Flames to look for softer spots in the schedule later on to make up ground.

But that too is a dangerous game given there isn't a single team that doesn't feel getting off to a fast start is the key to a playoff berth by the end of the year. Most, in fact, adhere to the dictum that a playoff spot won't necessarily be won in October but it could certainly be lost.

In other words, its fine for the Flames to come out of this opening month relatively even, but anything less than .500 would put severe pressure on the team to make up lost ground later on.

Helping the Flames early on is a relatively light schedule - although decked with high quality opponents - allowing for some respite and practice time in preparation for a four games in six nights stretch to close out the month of October.

One opponent, Chicago, might have gotten noticeably easier to take on with the news yesterday that Theo Fleury has been suspended without pay and placed in the NHL's substance abuse program.

After a 7-0-1 pre-season, Minnesota may not be the easy mark on the calendar they first appeared to be.

The three early dates, two with Vancouver and one with Philadelphia, could give Flames fans an early glimpse as to the effectiveness of a flurry of off-season moves, including the signings of rookie Chuck Kobasew and veteran Martin Gelinas as well as the trade which brought in Chris Drury and Stephane Yelle.

On the flip side, those first three games might give fans a heads-up on whether or not the Flames will miss Derek Morris, particularly with rookie Jordan Leopold sitting out the first game.

We'll call a 5-4-1 start for the Flames in October.

The most interesting dates of the month probably involve Vancouver where the summer-long feud between Flames and Canucks fans over which of Jarome Iginla and Todd Bertuzzi might be the NHL's best power forward might finally gain some clarity . . . . . Equally important will be dates with Buffalo and Minnesota, likely bottom-feeders of the ilk the Flames absolutely, positively must beat throughout this campaign to secure a playoff spot. . . . . . We'll say here and now that Robyn Regehr does score twice in October, the same number of goals scored by Morris in Colorado. And let's also say the Flames power play, with Drury guiding on the right point, finishes the month among the top seven in the NHL. . . . . . Last October the ugliest prediction we made had Rob Niedermayer opening the season with seven points. We won't make that mistake again and will over-compensate by saying Niedermayer is a utility spare part by the end of the month, if he's a Flame at all. . . . . . . We'll also predict that Marc Savard remains on the rails for the time being, the shadow of Drury concentrating his mind wonderfully, and Chuck Kobasew is the beneficiary with four goals in the month.

Monthly Record: 5-3-2-0, 12 points

October is a big test…

It begins. The Flames opened the Chris Drury era with a pair of pre-season wins over the Oilers, finishing September on a confident note. That's a good thing, because in October, they'll need all the confidence they can get.

Although I don't see the Flames repeating their success of a year ago, especially against such relatively tough competition, I do see them having a winning month and finishing with twelve points in ten games.

There are four very winnable games for the Flames: the depleted Bruins at home, the Fleury-less Blackhawks in Chicago, the Wild in Minnesota, and against the Sabres at home. If the Flames can get points in each of these games, manage a split against Vancouver, and pick-up a point or two in the tougher games, it should considered a successful month.

Predictions

Marc Savard will reaffirm his position as the 2nd line center alongside Chuck Kobasew and Martin Gelinas. The big line of Drury, Conroy, and Iginla will continue to dominate and finish the month with a combined 25 points. Micki DuPont will be relegated to the bench upon Jordon Leopold's return and will find himself back in Saint John by the month's end. Mattias Johansson will join him, while Blair Betts and Steve Montador will be the first call-ups on the season. Jamie McLennan will start just once, against the Wild in the second of back-to-back games.

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