Flames' Brian Elliott: Early struggles continue

Elliott posted another rough outing Thursday against Carolina, giving up four goals on 32 shots in a 4-2 defeat.

Analysis:

He's now lost three straight starts to open the season, surrendering 14 goals in that span for an .839 save mark and 4.72 GAA. Although he led the league in save percentage last year, Elliott has never been a particularly great goalie anywhere but St. Louis, and the Flames' defense certainly isn't of the same caliber as the Blues'. With Chad Johnson having shown well in his two opportunities thus far, Elliott could find himself ceding quite a few more starts than expected to his ostensible backup unless he's able to turn things around soon.