ELLIOTT RECOVERING FROM FLU

Brian Elliott warned the gathering media right away.
"Don't get too close," he joked.
"Get a boom mic for this one."
His mood, of course, greatly improved over his demeanor 24 hours prior when an exhausting illness that forced the Flames goaltender from his crease and made him a mere spectator in Wednesday's 5-2 loss against the Boston Bruins that ended a franchise-tying 10-game winning streak.

"It was a little bit of a turnaround from a couple nights ago, but you get a little bit of a bug and it takes you down a couple notches," Elliott said. "I was able to get out there today and kind of sweat it out a bit and feel a lot better from the last 24 hours here.
"It wasn't too good. I don't get sick often but when I do I get pretty low.
"My wife did a good job taking care of me. I just hope she doesn't get sick."
Hopefully, quipped coach Glen Gulutzan, it's out of Elliott's system for good.
"I asked him if he felt like he was going to die and he said, 'yep,'" Gulutzan started.
"Yeah, it was good to see him back skating and at it. We've had a couple bouts of the flu in there so we knew it's usually a 24-hour thing.
"A hard 24 hours.
"But it's good to have him back."

No doubt.
Especially with the run Elliott has been on.
Elliott posted nine of 10 wins during Calgary's run to match a team-best set as the Atlanta Flames from Oct. 14-Nov. 3, 1978. The 31-year-old netminder had staggering numbers - a 1.74 GAA and .943 save percentage - during the streak.
"You never want to see anybody sick and miss a game, especially the way he's been playing for us," centre Matt Stajan said. "It was good to see him back here."
Elliott's absence could be a one-game affair. He could return between the pipes to extend his personal streak to 10 games when the Flames host the Dallas Stars on Friday (7 p.m. MT; SNW, SN960).
The decision hasn't been made, but it's a more realistic option than it was 24 hours ago.
"I felt pretty good for how I was feeling not too long ago," Elliott said. "I'll come in tomorrow and have a pre-game skate and go from there.
"But I definitely feel a lot better."