The Anaheim Ducks had won six games in a row and were looking poised to win their seventh straight on Tuesday night, but a late rally by the Calgary Flames changed things dramatically and ultimately sent the Ducks to their first loss of the postseason.
Looking back at the game, it's easy to chalk up the Ducks' loss to bad luck in the final seconds of the game, as Johnny Gaudreau scored with under 20 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and then Mikael Granlund scored early in the extra session to give the Flames the victory. That approach oversimplifies things, and it masks the fact that the Ducks played far too cautiously at the end of the game.
In the first six games of the postseason, the Ducks played an aggressive style of hockey, using their physicality to muscle opponents off the puck and piling up good possession numbers as they generated scoring chances. In Tuesday's loss, the Ducks ended up with just four shots total over the final 25 minutes of the game, and going into a shell and trying to play cautiously to win ended up backfiring on them.
To make matters worse, the Ducks coupled their lack of aggressiveness with a lack of discipline, as they gave Calgary three power plays in the final 20 minutes of regulation. They were able to kill off the first two penalties, but when Sami Vatanen was sent off for delay of game late in the third period, the camel's back finally broke as the Flames scored and sent the game to overtime.
If the Ducks are going to avoid a repeat performance and take down Game 4, they will definitely have to play a stronger final 20 minutes of the game. They're not the type of team that has the defensive horses to just protect a lead, and the Flames aren't a team that cautious play necessarily works against. They have plenty of team quickness to break pressure in the neutral zone, and having snipers like Gaudreau and Jiri Hudler helps their offense to become even more potent.
The Ducks also can't assume that just playing a more aggressive game in the final 20 minutes will be enough either. Their top six has played well in the first few games of this series, and they'll have to generate some serious pressure early as the Flames try to establish dominance early in the game. That counter-punch could be a critical blow for Anaheim, as they are capable of scoring quickly and putting the Flames in a disadvantageous position early in the contest.
Along with a hot start and a strong finish, the Ducks have to make sure that they can get a good effort in the transition game from their defense. Guys like Simon Despres have done a really nice job so far in this series of pushing the puck up the ice quickly to catch the Flames when they're being too aggressive, and he'll have to repeat that magic again to keep the Flames at bay in this game.
