"Earning his first point as a member of the Calgary Flames was a relief.

Christopher Higgins was more excited about the 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils — and the fact his linemate snapped a slump that lasted a quarter of the season.

"He's been pressing a bit," Higgins said of centre Daymond Langkow, who went 21 games without a goal before earning his 12th of the season to tie the game 1-1 early in the second period.

Langkow has been a 20-plus goal scorer in all four of his previous seasons with the Flames. It won't be easy to reach that mark again, but Friday night's effort is a solid start for the man who has twice reached 30 tallies for this team.

"Obviously, you're thinking about it," Langkow said of the lengthy drought. "Especially when you're losing.

"You feel like you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing out there. And then maybe you change your game a little bit and it just gets worse. "