Bruins will try to ruin Flames' win streak (Mar 15, 2017)

CALGARY, Alberta -- Just how hot are the Calgary Flames? They've now gone a full month since their last regulation loss.

Since dropping a 5-0 decision on home ice to the Arizona Coyotes at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Feb. 13 after a mandated five-day break, the Flames have gone 11-0-1.

"It's been a great ride," Calgary captain Mark Giordano said Monday after Kris Versteeg scored the shootout winner to lead the Flames to their 10th straight victory, a 4-3 decision over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Flames (39-26-4) will attempt to establish a franchise record by winning their 11th straight game when they host the Boston Bruins (37-26-6) on Wednesday night at the Saddledome.

The Atlanta Flames also won 10 consecutive games from Oct. 14 to Nov. 3, 1978, before relocating to Calgary two seasons later.

What Giordano is most proud about Calgary's current streak is that it has come with the Flames in the midst of an intense battle to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs after missing out last season.

"It's an important time of year, obviously," Giordano said. "To put together a streak like this at this time of year, we control our own fate down the stretch.

"We're beating some good teams, we're playing some good hockey, but we've still got a ways to go. We've got to stick with it and play with that confidence."

Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said his team can definitely build confidence from beating the defending Stanley Cup champions twice in the span of 35 days (Versteeg also scored the shootout winner on Feb. 7 in Pittsburgh to give the Flames a 3-2 win over the Penguins).

"I thought our team has grown a lot in the last month or two months and we continue to grow throughout the year," Gulutzan said after Monday's hard-fought victory over the Penguins. "A game like that puts another stamp on it. Hey, we are a good hockey team. It just reaffirms our belief in ourselves."

To keep their streak going, the Flames will have to knock off another confident team in the Bruins, who have won three straight games and have gone 7-3 in their past 10 to move into third spot in the Atlantic Division.

Left winger Brad Marchand scored three goals in the third period on Monday in Vancouver to lead the Bruins to a come-from-behind 6-3 win over the Canucks.

For Marchand, it was his second career hat trick and it gave him 25 goals in his past 28 games to tie him for the league lead at 35 with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

"It just shows the success we're having as a team," said Marchand, who also pulled into a tie with Crosby for second in the NHL's scoring race with 74 points. "When we are winning and the team is doing well, everyone is doing well. It's great to see we're all having success from this."

Goalie Tuukka Rask made 26 saves against the Canucks on Monday to improve his record this season to 33-16-4.

"In the third, we took over offensively and defensively," said Rask, who compared the beginning of Boston's current four-game road trip to one last month when they went 3-1-0 after starting out with a 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks. "The first games of a road trip are always the most important ones because it sets the tone for your trip.

"It's always tough when you come out west, California or here, and both trips we found a way to win the first game and try to build off that."