Welcome to the Game Day Fire Drill, for this, Calgary’s 14th game of the season on Nov. 5, 2009.

I am writing this a day early because, as you read this, I am leaving work and heading right to the Banknorth Garden in lovely Boston, Mass. for the Bruins/Canadiens game at which I have sixth-row seats. Jealous? I don’t expect you to be.

The point being that I’m writing this prior to the end of last night’s Calgary/Dallas game and am enjoying the uncertainty of the Flames’ result being possibly not a loss. It’s better, certainly, than knowing they lost (which I am almost positive they will have done by the time you read this) [Ed note: TLP, you couldn’t be more wrong. Where’s your faith?!].

But let me pretend, for a moment, that somehow it didn’t all end with a loss. Imagine if Jarome Iginla scored a goal and didn’t play like garbage? How much more faith would you have in this team going forward for the next week or so? How much more faith would you have that Iggy was back to his old self after a slow start? 

A lot, huh?

Okay, so how much more confident are you that the Flames will win tonight?

Not at all? Yes, that’s just about right.

The Calgary Flames (8-4-1 for 17 points. Eighth in the West, third in the Northwest) and the St. Louis Blues (5-6-1 for 11 points. 13th in the West, fifth in the Central).

6:30 p.m. Mountain time and 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. All other time zones should watch out for the badass-est bird ever.

Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri.

Calgary is 3-1-1 on the road this year which should be of little comfort to you since this is the tail end of a road back-to-back. The Blues are 3-1-1- at home, which is very impressive considering their overall record is sub-.500.

The City of St. Louis — I have been to St. Louis twice in my life. Both times it was just an awful, awful city. The first time I went, I walked from my hotel down to the rink on a Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m., which is just outside of the downtown area. I passed maybe four people. And two of them were homeless. That’s 100 percent true. Once you’ve seen the Arch and maybe Albert Pujols play baseball, you have seen everything there is to see in that dreadful burgh.

The Gateway Arch — Speaking of the Arch, going up there is a terrible, terrible idea. First of all, it was designed to give a bit when the wind blows, which is all the time. As a consequence, you take a small little elevator, no bigger than two stadium seats facing each other, up to a narrow, cramped hallway a couple hundred feet in the air. The windows you can look out are literally maybe a foot tall, and you have to lie down to see out of them. And even then, all you’re seeing is freaking St. Louis, a dingy little city on a sufficiently impressive river. Terrible.

Andy Murray — He likes to think he comes up with clever phrases. Earlier this year, he bragged to a local newspaper that he came up with, "Arrogance breeds complacency and complacency means you are going backwards.” He’s actually proud of that garbage. It doesn’t even make sense. Complacency doesn’t mean you’re going backwards. That’s one of the two things it doesn’t mean.

TJ Oshie is hurt — TJ Oshie is one of the most fun players to watch in the NHL, so his being hurt is saddening to me. Swing by YouTube and watch him put Rick Nash on his wallet. It’s awesome.

Because I won’t see it. Enjoy the game and don’t spoil my TiVo-ed copy of this one in the comments section.