Flames vs. Ducks: First Thoughts on the Series

The Flames punched their ticket to SoCal with a 7-4 win over the Canucks Saturday

A start date for the series hasn’t been set, but the Anaheim Ducks now know who their second round playoff opponent will be as the Calgary Flames eliminated the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday in Game 6 of a contentious best-of-seven series.

Much like the Ducks did in the first round, the Flames made comeback wins a habit against the Canucks, finishing off the series by coming back from a 3-0 Game 6 deficit and ultimately winning a 7-4 game thanks to an explosive third period. Jiri Hudler tied the game at 4-4 with a power-play goal early in the frame, and a goal by Matt Stajan with less than five minutes to go in regulation proved to be the game winner as the Flames advanced.

For fans that haven’t watched many Flames games this season, their formula for success is simple: get solid goaltending, play aggressive defense and never give up on any game. They’ve notched a slew of comeback victories this season and their playoff run against the Canucks was no exception.

They picked up a come-from-behind win in Game 1 of the series, won Game 3 despite a big late push from Vancouver and somehow found a way to win Game 4 despite being outshot and largely held in check by the Canucks’ defense.

A big part of the reason for Calgary’s success has been the consistent play of their forwards so far in the postseason. Veteran Jiri Hudler has been a star for the team, scoring three goals and dishing out three assists in the six-game series. He scored twice in Game 6 on Saturday night and his ability on the power play has been a huge boost for the Flames.

The Flames also have a couple of really talented youngsters pulling their weight, with Calder Trophy-nominee Johnny Gaudreau currently tied for the team lead in points so far in the postseason and Sean Monahan just one point behind with two goals and three assists to his credit.

Goaltending is also another strength for the Flames, and they got some big performances out of both Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo in the series. Hiller, formerly of the Ducks, has a very respectable 2.20 goals against average and a .931 save percentage so far in the postseason, and in two relief appearances Ramo has a win (he was the goaltender of record in the Game 6 clincher after Hiller was pulled) and a 2.09 goals against average.

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The Ducks will be well-rested by the time the series finally kicks off at the Honda Center later this week, but they’ll be in for a stern test after sweeping the Winnipeg Jets. The Flames are a team with talent in all areas of the ice, and they showed against the Canucks that they are as tough and resilient as they come. Moving on to the Western Conference Final would be a nice accomplishment for the Ducks, but they’ve got a tough road ahead.

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