Johnny Hockey Makes Believers Outta the Penguins

Could the Great Canadian Hope for returning Lord Stanley's hardware north of the 49th come from the Western Plains?

Perhaps, if Calgary's hottest Flame keeps living up to his name.

In a season where certain playoff contenders are posting impressive spells of victories, keepers of the Black Fire -- how else to describe that darkly blazing C? -- have just won their tenth in a row.

It came as the current Cup holders were mesmerized by Johnny Gaudreau, who forced a shootout with this amazing display of skill:

The former Hobey Baker winner just keeps adding to the accuracy of his nickname.

Don't let Gaudreau's diminuative frame -- 5-9, 154 -- deceived you, either.

The little dude can hold his own quite well among the tung timber of the NHL.

The Flames are 10 points to the good in the race for playoff berths with 13 games to go.

They've got a particularly wicked road trip near the end of March -- at Washington, Nashville, and St Louis -- and what amounts to a trio of four-pointers against the currently outta-the-money but knocking-on-the-door Los Angeles Kings. Still, it'd take a serious slump to deny them a shot at spring hockey.

To date, Gaudreau has made it a personal challenge to not let that happen.