[Hockey News]

In his first year as head coach, Jim Playfair talked about his Calgary Flames establishing an identity as an opportunistic, hard-working team that would give no quarter.

He got that . . . sometimes. Consistency was not the Flames' strong suit in their 2006-07 campaign. More was expected of this club than hanging on for the last playoff berth in the Western Conference.

The Flames were predicted to win the Northwest Division for a second straight year, thus finishing top three in the conference.

But Calgary's post-season was a microcosm of the entire season. They were nearly unbeatable at home, but rotten on the road.

They looked like Stanley Cup contenders at times. And then you wondered if they would even make the playoffs.

It ended with a 2-1 double overtime loss to Detroit on Sunday in Game 6. Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who faced 255 shots in the series, was the main reason it went as long as it did.

It marked Calgary's second straight exit in the first round after going all the way to the Stanley Cup final in the pre-lockout season of 2003-04.

"Right now amongst the players, it's just disappointment," Flames captain Jarome Iginla said upon elimination. "We wanted it to go further."

Streaky Calgary Flames went cold at the wrong times this NHL season