Flames vs. Ducks: Three Stars of Game 2

The Anaheim Ducks continued their impressive opening run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday, winning their sixth game in a row as they knocked off the Calgary Flames by a score of 3-0 at the Honda Center.

With a 2-0 series lead in hand and yet another dominant postseason effort to their credit, here are the Ducks’ Three Stars from Sunday’s win.

Third Star: Nate Thompson

Thompson scored his first goal of the postseason on Sunday night in the win, as he fired in an empty-net goal late in the third period to seal Calgary’s fate. He also ended up with two blocked shots, three hits and a takeaway to his credit on the scoresheet.

More importantly than what he did in those areas, Thompson excelled in a critical area for the Ducks: in the faceoff circle. In the game, he won 10 of the 14 draws he took, and he did a great job in preventing Calgary’s offense from getting the puck and establishing possession in the game.

Second Star: Frederik Andersen

Andersen hasn’t been tested all that severely so far in the postseason, but with the Ducks struggling in a big way on offense in the second period of Sunday’s game, he had to play some of his best hockey of the playoffs.

In total in the frame, Andersen made 12 saves, helped kill off a big power play for the Flames early on in the period and looked to be in total control of his game. His rebound control was exquisite, his positioning was on-point, and his confidence was clearly growing with each shot that he stopped.

Andersen stopped 30 shots total in the game to register his first career playoff shutout, but it was his second period performance that kept the Ducks in front and allowed them to continue their postseason winning streak.

First Star: Ryan Kesler

In the first game of the series, the Ducks’ top line was the star of the show as they racked up goals and assists like Augustus Gloop eating candy at the Wonka Factory, but the second line came through in a big way for Anaheim as they secured a Game 2 victory on Sunday.

The driving force behind that effort was Kesler, who had the primary assist on Matt Beleskey’s first period goal and picked up two shots on net in 16:26 of ice time in the game. He also fired a shot loudly off the crossbar in the first period that nearly gave the Ducks an early lead.

His biggest contribution in the game came in that first period as he assisted on Beleskey’s goal. On the play, Jakub Silfverberg pushed a puck up along the boards, setting up a 2-on-1 rush for Anaheim. Kesler was the beneficiary on the play as he grabbed the pass, and his saucer pass across the ice was weighted perfectly. It barely cleared the stick of the sliding Calgary defender, and it hit Beleskey’s stick directly on the tape as the winger fired home an easy shot to give the Ducks a 1-0 advantage.

Kesler is known as a player that can excel in both the offensive and defensive areas of the game, but his offense really carried the day for the Ducks in this one. If he can continue to play this well, then Anaheim’s center depth gives them a tremendous advantage moving forward in the postseason.