The way the Flames were called out by their faithful after that 6-1 drubbing in San Jose, and the way they spent their time in between games preparing, you knew they'd come up with a strong performance Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Now the test is to provide a worthy encore.

It would be a bit much to expect the Flames to again manhandle the Avs in the second half of the home-and-home series Thursday night in Denver, but something along those lines in terms of effort and execution shouldn't be out of line.

There were several key elements to the 4-1 win in the first part of the intradivisional set. Among them was a better attention to detail in the defensive zone, a better effort overall and a better forecheck.

Having had time to rest, even...

The Calgary Flames were determined to find a way to turn around their rough November, no matter how hard Peter Budaj made it for them. The Flames overcame a 47-save performance by Budaj and earned a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. Calgary, which improved to 4-5 in November, had lost five of seven before Tuesday -- including an embarrassing 6-1 defeat in San Jose last week.

Last time out, the San Jose Sharks took 57 shots and still lost in overtime. Two nights later, they scored four times in the first period of a blowout win over Calgary. Joe Pavelski can't figure it out. He's just happy to see the Sharks putting in the same effort every night during the NHL's most impressive start.

Dustin Boyd doesn't get to play alongside Calgary star Jarome Iginla too often, so he took advantage when he got the chance. Boyd had two goals and the Flames held on for a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Boyd played with Iginla and Curtis Glencross because regular first-line forward Mike Cammalleri was out with the flu.

Jonathan Toews finally got into the act for the Chicago Blackhawks. Patrick Kane and Martin Havlat each had a goal and two assists and Chicago beat the Calgary Flames 6-1 on Sunday night for their fourth straight victory. Toews and Kris Versteeg each added a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, 6-0-2 at home.

Rookie goaltender Steve Mason is getting more comfortable playing in the NHL. As a result, opposing teams aren't so comfortable playing the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mason made 22 saves to remain unbeaten in three career starts and the surging Blue Jackets beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Saturday night. The Blue Jackets have won their last three games -- beating Canadian franchises Edmonton, Montreal...