The Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames are two teams on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of expectations. From the start of the season, it was expected that the Ducks would finally get over the hump and make it to at least the conference finals, while in Calgary, it would have been seen as an accomplishment to even push for a playoff berth, nevermind compete in the second round. After first round series’ that saw both teams dispose of Canadian teams en route to victory (the Ducks knocking off the Winnipeg Jets in four games, while the Flames took down the Vancouver Canucks in six), both clubs will be hungry to prove doubters wrong in their own ways. So who has the edge, the powerhouse Ducks, or the underdog Flames? Markus Meyer and Brandon Altomonte of the LWOS hockey department take a look.
The Matchup: Ducks Versus Flames
The Ducks and Flames faced each other five times during the regular season, with the Flames winning the first contest 4-3 in a shootout in November, losing 3-2 in regulation later in the month, and Anaheim wining two of three 6-3 results to finish off the series. The Ducks out-scored the Flames 21 to 16 during those five games, and had the 207 to 148 edge in shot attempts.
OFFENSE
A storyline for both teams has been the big-guns coming up in key moments. For the Ducks the trio of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler have combined for 16 points in four games, while the Flames’ big line of Jiri Hudler, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau have, despite not playing up to expectations for chunks of their series against the Canucks, put points on the board when it mattered, with Gaudreau and Hudler (who had four points in the series clinching sixth game) putting up six points apiece, and Monahan not far behind at five in six games. Both teams have also gotten their fair share of secondary scoring to back up their big name pieces, with the Flames getting nearly point-a-game numbers out of Michael Ferland (four points), David Jones (five points) and Matt Stajan (four points), as well as three points in six games from rookie Sam Bennett who, as you may know, is 18 years of age. The Ducks’ supporting cast may have underperformed during the regular season, but they’ve stepped up in the post-season, with Jakob Silfverberg putting up six points in four games, Andrew Cogliano scoring at a PPG pace, and Patrick Maroon scoring three points in the four contests.
However, an area that both teams can claim is a strength, is offense from the blue line. Calgary got significant contributions from the likes of Dennis Wideman, Kris Russell and T.J. Brodie, who all put up four points apiece in their six games against the Canucks. Meanwhile, the Ducks boast 23-year-old Sami Vatanen, who put up five points in just four games, while also getting respectable production out of Francois Beauchemin (three points), Simon Depres and Cam Fowler (two points each.)
Overall, the Ducks get the slight edge due to being more battle-tested, but this is an area where Calgary could very well take the advantage as the series wears on.
Advantage: Slight Ducks
DEFENCE
The Ducks defence isn’t the toughest group to play against, but they are very good at moving the puck and providing offence. Sami Vatanen has been great on the powerplay, and had 2 goals and 3 assists in his series against the Winnipeg Jets. Cam Fowler and Hamphus Lindholm provide some offence as well, while Francois Beauchemin and Clayton Stoner bring a sound defensive presence. Anaheim also has Simon Despres and James Wisniewski that they picked up at the trade deadline, which gives them plenty of depth.
Calgary is without their captain Mark Giordano, who was well on his way to a Norris trophy nomination prior to his injury, and many thought the defence would fall apart without him. That hasn’t been the case, as the rest of the blueliners have stepped up in a big way. Dennis Wideman, Kris Russell, and TJ Brodie were all instrumental in getting the Flames to the playoffs, and making it to the second round. Deryk Engelland handled the extra minutes very well against the Vancouver Canucks, however after the top four, the defence gets rather thin.
Advantage: Slight Ducks
GOALTENDING
This was the Ducks biggest concern from last year’s postseason, when they changed their starting goalie numerous times. They two relatively inexperienced goaltenders in Frederick Andersen and John Gibson, and there will be plenty of focus on how they perform. So far Andersen has done very well, and hasn’t done anything to cause concern. He’s kept the Ducks in games when they were behind, and gave the team the opportunities to come back and win.
Jonas Hiller will be a focal point of attention, considering he played for Anaheim his entire career. The Ducks let him go last summer after being outplayed by Andersen and Gibson, and Hiller will want to make his old team regret that decision. He stood on his head in games 1 through 5 versus the Canucks, although if he struggles like he did in game 6, the Flames might opt to go with Kari Ramo.
Advantage: Slight Flames
COACHING
Bruce Boudreau is a fantastic regular season coach, as shown by his third straight finish atop the pacific division. He is great at getting a lot out of his players, especially when it comes to offence. The only thing he hasn’t been able to do is win in the playoffs. He has only won three playoff series, and has never made it past the second round. After an impressive performance in the first round, he will try to carry over that success into this series, and reach the conference finals for the first time in his NHL coaching career.
Bob Hartley on the other hand has had plenty of experience and success in the post season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. He hasn’t had any success since his time in Colorado, but he has done some great things with this Flames team. Calgary was projected by many to miss the playoffs, and thanks to Hartley, they find themselves with a chance to reach the final four. He has gotten all of his players to buy into his system, and together they have beaten the odds all year, and will look to do it again this series.
Advantage: Flames
Special Teams
Throughout the regular season, neither of these teams were overly impressive in the special teams department. The Flames finished a respectable-but-unspectacular 13th in power play percentage at 18.8%, while the Ducks finished all the way down at 28th with a 15.7% success rate, finishing ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche and the Buffalo Sabres. On the penalty kill, both teams finished as middle of the pack teams, with the Flames finishing 20th at 80.6% and the Ducks finishing 15th at 81%.
Through one round of playoff hockey, both clubs are in the top three in terms of power play percentage, with Calgary sitting 2nd at 27.8% efficiency rate, and Anaheim not far behind at 3rd with 27.3%. However, the Ducks boast a significant edge on the penalty kill, with their 5th ranked 84.6% beating out Calgary’s 11th ranked 81.3%. Another area where Anaheim has an edge, is the in the discipline department, where they’ve take 12 minor penalties (tied for least in the playoffs) to the Flames’ 19 (the Flames however, have a major edge during regular season play, where they took the least penalties in the league at 209, compared to Anaheim’s 299 minors.) Considering the Flames’ regular season track record and the Ducks’ discipline to-date in the post-season, special teams may not end up being a huge issue for either side.
Advantage: Slight Ducks
WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR
For the Ducks: Ryan Kesler
Ryan Kesler was acquired in the off-season from Vancouver as the final piece that could put this team over the top in the playoffs, and so far, it’s paid off. Kesler has five point in four games (one of those being a GWG) while playing a strong two-way game for the Ducks. He’s looking like the player that was an integral part of the Canucks’ 2011 run to the Stanley Cup Final, and should he keep this up, he will be hard to stop, and fun to watch.
For the Flames: Micheal Ferland
One could make the argument that 23-year-old winger Micheal Ferland was the X-factor for the Flames in their first round series victory over the Canucks, which is remarkable considering that few Canuck fans even knew who Micheal Ferland was at the start of the series. Ferland got under the skin of pretty well every single Canucks skater, specifically that of defenceman Kevin Bieksa, and he could very well have the same impact on the Ducks, and frustrate them into taking unnecessary penalties. Ferland’s flourishing in this year’s playoffs, and he’ll be an interesting player to keep an eye on.
FINAL SAY
While stats and logic point towards a Ducks victory in this series, the Calgary Flames have defied the odds all season, from making the playoffs without captain and would-be Norris favorite Mark Giordano, to defeating a more experienced Vancouver Canucks squad in the opening round, they have defied any sort of common sense or statistic thrown their way. The Ducks may very well take this one, but the Flames will not go down without a fight. This is sure to be a tightly contested, entertaining series. How do we think it will end?
Markus says Ducks in 6
Brandon says Flames in 6
SERIES PREDICTIONS FROM OUR HOCKEY DEPARTMENT
Ben Kerr: Ducks in 5
Tyler Shea: Flames in 6
Shawn Wiliken: Ducks in 6
