from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

So, is this it? Is the moment when water reaches its level in Calgary and the dream becomes the nightmare many folks believed this season would be?

The Flames, one of the pleasant surprises of this season through the first quarter, were dumped 4-3 by Buffalo on Thursday night, blowing a 3-2 third period lead along the way. Netminder Karri Ramo, a workhorse of late for the Flames, allowed four goals on just 19 shots while the Flames could only solve Jhonas Enroth three times despite launching 45 shots on net.

The loss was the third in a row for the Flames, their worst streak of the season. The Flames are in a stretch where they play six of eight on the road and are in Pittsburgh on Friday and Chicago on Sunday. So far, the Flames have always rebounded from whatever slight bumps in the road they have encountered. Now we'll find out if their reality is about to change.

more topics from the games last night by the ESPN hockey writers...