While surging towards a playoff spot last season, the Calgary Flames were the highest scoring team in the NHL during the second half.

And it wasn’t just Jarome Iginla doing the scoring, although he led the way with 43 tallies. It was that secondary wave of offence that made the difference. This season, it’s that supplemental attack that is blowing nothing but tumbleweeds, especially in the latter stages of this crucial seven-game road trip that wraps up Thursday.

Lee Stempniak is goal-less in 13 games and has just three road goals all season. Roman Horak hasn’t scored in 28 games and has yet to score on the road. Blake Comeau has been blanked in six straight and has none in 14 road games. Mikael Backlund has two goals in 17 road games, Brendan Morrison two in 14 and Matt Stajan one in 14.

No wonder Calgary ranks 25th in goals per game. If Iginla, Curtis Glencross, Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen aren’t scoring, no one is.

The Flames posted three impressive victories before the Christmas break and another in the first game back. They were inspired mostly by solid goaltending, but also by a high level of energy.

In the four consecutive losses since, the energy level dropped and all the good that had accumulated came undone.

Yes, they were road games and yes, injuries to important Flames players are playing a role. But unless a team can score and play .500 hockey on the road, it won’t make the playoffs. Fortunately, the Flames have played more road games than any team in the league so more home games down the stretch should bode well for playoff aspirations.

But for that to happen, the scoring must diversify. Proven scorers like Stempniak and Comeau – and even stone cold blue-liners like Jay Bouwmeester and Anton Babchuk – have to find a way to step it up. It might mean mixing up the lines again or crashing the crease or shooting more often or borrowing Glencross’s flat-curved stick or inserting the likes of Greg Nemisz and Raitis Ivanans into the lineup.

But most of all it’s about energy and effort. The Flames have looked completely gassed most of the past 12 periods of hockey. Calgary is in better shape than it was 365 days ago, but this team desperately needs another win streak to end this losing skid.