F back-to-backs.

As I noted in yesterday’s GDFD, I was at work for this game. But since my friend is a former Hurricanes employee, we were intently watching the score update on NHL.com.

1-0. Oh hell.

2-0. That’s weird, Calgary just kicked the christ out of the Flyers.

3-0. Okay this thing is broken, right?

4-0. I get a text message from another friend, “Great game from the Flames tonight, eh?” Respond with, “Please die.”

5-0. Log onto www.fmylife.com to register my outrage.

6-0. Begin looking around for prescription painkillers on which to overdose.

6-1. Get the feeling that somehow, that score is worse.

And this entire time, I know I have the game sitting on my TiVo at home. And I have to watch it.

After a win as great at the 5-1 win in Philly on Thursday, you probably would have liked to see a bit more than the Flames’ second-worst loss of the year.

I say second-worst, of course, because there was that game Calgary lost 6-0 at Vancouver to open the season, but this one runs a very, very close second. It’s worse than the other two 6-1 losses I can think of (am I missing one?), those at San Jose and Chicago, because at least the first two are good teams.

But this was the freakin’ Hurricanes, who were 10th in the East. Considering how bad the back 12 of the East are this year, that’s like losing to the Avalanche 6-1. Imagine the indignity.

This game was just a cavalcade of horrendous turnovers and stupid penalties, each more ludicrously embarrassing than its predecessor. How are you gonna let Ray Whitney of all people score a hat trick against you? How are you gonna give Sergei Samsonov a breakaway? How are you gonna give up three power play goals? How are you gonna give up three on 23 even-strength shots?

It’s ludicrous and embarrassing.

*turns “Days without a terrible road game” sign back to zero.*

Jarome Iginla — At least he scored a vintage Jarome Iginla outwork-someone-in-the-neutral-zone-chase-down-the-puck-and-snap-a-crisp-wrister-into-the-net goal. I missed those.

Curtis McElhinney — I truly feel bad saying this about C-Mack because the team gives him absolutely no help whatsoever, but at what point do we have to accept that he is just never going to be a good backup? This is getting ridiculous. After the game, Iginla noted that McElhinney is constantly having, “one of those games.” But don’t you think that it rolls over into, “he’s just one of those goalies,” soon? I don’t care how badly the defense played in front of him, he needs to start doing better than an .881 save percentage. Quickly.

Back-to-back games — Calgary is now 2-7-1 in back-to-back games, and nine of them have been on the road. The good news, though, is that Calgary doesn’t have any back-to-ba.. what? They have FOUR more? Kill me.

Oh just go ahead and watch the whole goddamn thing all over again if you want to know what was truly ugly about this game.