  The heat is on Flames captain Jarome Iginla as he continues to struggle with consistency. (Sun Media/Darren Makowichuk)
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Calgary's most controversial celebrity couple is back together again.
Snake-bitten snipers Jarome Iginla and Olli Jokinen hit the ice yesterday in matching red practice uniforms, hinting they'll be skating side-by-side tonight when the Flames face off against Stars in Dallas (6:30 p.m, TSN).
Written off by many fans as a failed chemistry experiment, the Flames' highest-paid forwards will get another shot to prove the naysayers wrong after being split up five games ago.
"Whenever you're not winning, things change up a bit, and we were obviously prepared for that," Iginla said. "I look forward to it. I always enjoy playing with (Jokinen).
"He's a big, strong, smart hockey player, and I think we're about to break out."
Flames fans certainly hope so.
Iginla is coming off arguably his worst outing of the season after finishing with a minus-2 rating and failing to register a single shot in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the road-weary Detroit Red Wings.
Through 12 games, the captain has scored four goals -- the same count as lesser-lites Nigel Dawes, Curtis Glencross and Eric Nystrom -- and he's added just five assists.
You have to scroll further down the Flames scoring charts to find Jokinen, who has two goals and four helpers to show for a dozen contests.
He's on pace for 14 markers, his lowest goal total since 2001-02.
That's not exactly what GM Darryl Sutter had in mind when he shipped out two regulars and a first-round pick to land the fancy Finn from the Phoenix Coyotes at last season's trade deadline.
"We know that both of us haven't been playing as well as we need to play in order to help the team, and we've got more," Iginla said.
"We've had some success together, and I think that there is still room for improvement. We can get better, and we're both definitely driven, and we know that we do need to be better."
Bench boss Brent Sutter shuffled three of his four lines yesterday, although Daymond Langkow, Rene Bourque and Dawes continue to form the so-called second line.
Nystrom was patrolling the left wing for Jokinen and Iginla, while Dustin Boyd was skating between Glencross and David Moss in the third grouping.
Veteran centre Craig Conroy joined Freddie Sjostrom, Brandon Prust and Brian McGrattan as candidates for a fourth-line spot.
"Obviously, I haven't been happy the way we've played," Sutter said. "I'm not going to accept average play, and average play comes from individuals playing average.
"It was time to shake it up a little bit."
Jokinen simply shrugged off the line shuffle.
"As a player, you just want to play hard no matter who you play with," Jokinen said. "I just come to the rink and do my job.
"I'm not worried about the lines."
WES.GILBERTSON@SUNMEDIA.CA
