A 6-0 opening night drubbing has raised some questions about the Calgary Flames, but they should still compete for the Western Conference championship.

While the dreamers in Toronto have begun planning a Stanley Cup parade route thanks to that stunning 3-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings Thursday in Motown, they are planning a funeral in Calgary.

What a train wreck!

6-0.

Say it out loud: 6-0.

Unlike the knuckleheads that were satisfied with the Leafs entering yet another rebuilding phase as they try to find a way to win their first Cup since 1967, and now have visions of the playoffs dancing in their delusional heads, I consider the opening game of a season to be a snapshot – not an indicator of what is to come for the next seven months. So even though the Flames were smoked by that offensive juggernaut, the Vancouver Canucks, I feel comfortable in suggesting they will still compete for the Western Conference championship this season.

But holy cow, what the heck was that?

There are a couple of things to be worried about if you are a fan of the Flames. For starters, starting goalie Miikka Kiprusoff looked horrible. Granted solid defender Robyn Regehr missed the game to be with his wife, who was in labour, but his absence can’t explain away six goals against. Kiprusoff managed to save just 17 of the 23 shots Vancouver directed his way while at the other end Roberto Luongo was a perfect 25-for-25.

In a nutshell, Kiprusoff has to be better. Many still rank him among the best stoppers in the game and his 39 wins last season are a testament to that. His inconsistency, however, is a concern. Kiprusoff isn’t the only problem.

Frankly, the Flames have not been the same since the NHL’s decision to crack down on obstruction. (Then again, even when the league allowed its best players to be mugged, the Flames couldn’t overcome the talent of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2004 Stanley Cup final.) It is no secret GM Darryl Sutter has tried to build a competitive team in his family’s image, which is fine as long as he remembers that while he and his brothers were warriors, they were surrounded by some awfully talented teammates.

The Flames surrendered some significant skill, replacing the likes of Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay, neither of whom ever acclimatized themselves in the Flames’ rough and tumble system, and are keeping their fingers crossed Michael Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi can find their offensive games. Say what you want about Tanguay and Huselius being soft and not the type of player a team needs to go deep into the playoffs, Cammalleri has never played an NHL playoff game and Bertuzzi had no goals in six games with Anaheim last spring.

And while the Flames have one of the most supremely talented individuals in the game in captain Jarome Iginla, he can’t do it on his own. The Flames desperately hope Cammalleri can rediscover the scoring touch that enabled him to fire 34 goals two years ago with the Los Angeles Kings. He is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer so you’d have to think he’s motivated. If he stays at the 19-goal level that he played at last year, it simply is not good enough.

I admire Daymond Langkow as the team’s No. 1 centre, but you must have concerns about the team’s lack of proven scoring depth. Craig Conroy is good for 10 goals a year now, Rene Bourque has never scored more than 16 in a season and has given no indication he’ll hit that mark again, Bertuzzi looks great after dropping about 20 pounds, but has not been the same forceful player he was prior to the Steve Moore incident and on and on and on. If Matthew Lombardi can become a consistent 20-goal man, it would help alleviate the problem, but that is a big if.

So at the end of the day, it was just one game. One gawdawful game. But at the very least it must serve as a wakeup call. The Flames qualified for the playoffs in the seventh slot in the West last season and some have predicted they might slip a bit this year.

One thing is certain, if Calgary doesn’t get some scoring support for Iginla and if Kiprusoff doesn’t find his game, making the playoffs is not a lock. If that happens, changes will come.

Funny thing is a couple of weeks from now the Flames might be 5-1. I have a sneaky suspicion we’ll see a highly motivated Flames team in Saturday’s rematch against the Canucks at the Saddledome.