The Calgary Flames have been in one or two games this season where they weren’t really in the game at all over the 60-minute duration. Tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins is the latest addition to that short list.

The Flames dropped a 4-0 decision to the Penguins on Friday night. They gave up a goal 5:46 in and never got back into it from there. They were shut out for the second time this season. They drop to 29-21-3 on the season.

The Flames weren’t really in this one tonight. They were out-shot in the first two periods and held even in shots in the third when the Penguins, bless ’em, took their foot off the gas a bit.

The big difference-maker was Sidney Crosby, perhaps the world’s best hockey player. He picked Mark Giordano’s pocket and fed David Perron out front for the game’s opening (and game-winning) goal. He scored on a gorgeous play in the second, out-racing Paul Byron and scoring on a one-handed poke/deflection of a gorgeous pass from the boards from Chris Kunitz. And he scored again in the third on a partial break-away in the third to end Jonas Hiller’s night. Crosby and Kunitz were unreal tonight.

Simon Despres found Brandon Sutter – left along at the side of the net by Sean Monahan – on a gorgeous slap-pass deflection for the game’s second goal at the end of the first period.

The Flames weren’t particularly bad tonight, it’s just that Marc-Andre Fleury and the rest of the Penguins were better. Much better.

Pittsburgh was better, plain and simple.

Calgary has been able to win games this year by sheer force of will. They’ve out-worked their opposition. They’ve taken advantage of their chances. And, let’s face it, a few good hockey clubs have taken the Flames lightly and lost to them.

Pittsburgh? Mike Johnston’s group was ready from the first face-off tonight, and as a result, Calgary was never able to get out of the starting blocks.

Matt Stajan led the Flames in face-off percentage and was one of a handful of players to be even in a game where the Flames got scored on a bunch. He gets the nod tonight. Lance Bouma was also good, but Stajan was slightly better.

The Flames have two days off after tonight, and they’re heading towards a big divisional clash with the San Jose Sharks on Monday night in Silicon Valley. They’ve got to shake this loss off quickly, because Monday night could be huge for Calgary’s playoff hopes.