The trade provided immediate dividends for the Flames, as Kiprusoff recorded 22 saves in a 2–1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in his first game with Calgary on November 20. He won 12 of 17 starts between November 20 and December 29, giving up one goal or fewer 11 times in that stretch. He was named the defensive player of the month for December by the League, but suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his knee at the end of the month that forced him out of the lineup for four weeks.