Anaheim showed what a week's worth of rest and preparation will do for the top-seeded team from the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Corey Perry had two goals and two assists and Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and three assists to help Anaheim overpower Calgary 6-1 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Honda Center. The Ducks played for the first time in eight days after sweeping the Winnipeg Jets in the first round and got right back into playoff mode. Perry gave Anaheim leads of 3-0 and 5-0, the latter on a power-play goal 44 seconds into the third period when he took Getzlaf's pass, skated down the left side and beat Flames goalie Karri Ramo. Perry's four points tied his own franchise Stanley Cup Playoffs single-game record set in Game 1 of the first round. Getzlaf matched Perry by scoring a power-play goal at 2:32 of the third period for a 6-0 lead. He set a career single-game playoff career high in points and assists as Calgary was exploited by Anaheim's top line. The Ducks and Flames were among the NHL leaders in third-period comebacks, but Calgary's lone goal came from rookie Sam Bennett, who scored at 9:16 of the third period when the puck ticked off the skate of Francois Beauchemin and onto his stick for a slap shot that ended Frederik Andersen's bid for his first playoff shutout. Things couldn't have gone much worse for Calgary, which pulled goalie Jonas Hiller early in the second period after he allowed three goals on 14 shots in his first playoff game against his former team. The Flames also lost Micheal Ferland and Jiri Hudler to undisclosed injuries, and Johnny Gaudreau was rested in the third. Including the playoffs, Calgary has lost 20 straight games at Honda Center since winning Game 3 of their first-round series in 2006. Hiller, who spent seven seasons with Anaheim before signing with Calgary as a free agent last summer, said the Flames have to chalk this one up as a lesson learned. The second period has been Anaheim's weakness all season, but Perry and Emerson Etem scored to give the Ducks a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes. Perry was left unguarded to skate from behind the net to the left side and scored easily 2:13 into the second period, prompting Hiller's removal. At 10:11, Etem put in a loose puck off Beauchemin's shot, with Tim Jackman creating traffic in front, for his second goal in as many games. Matt Beleskey and Maroon gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead after one period. Beleskey tapped in a deft pass by Kyle Palmieri from behind the goal line at 10:17 after the Ducks penned the Flames in their zone. Maroon chipped Getzlaf's backhand pass from the corner past Hiller at 13:11 after the top line cycled down low and Maroon outmuscled Matt Stajan in front of the net. Anaheim killed nearly three minutes of Calgary power-play time in the opening 10 minutes because of cross-checking and high-sticking penalties by Perry, and Andersen stopped Josh Jooris on a breakaway early in the game.
Game 2 - Calgary @ Anaheim 0-3 - Sun, May 3 - Ducks Lead 2-0
Karri Ramo helped his team weather the storm and make it a game. Frederik Andersen helped his team weather the storm and get a win. Andersen made 30 saves and Matt Beleskey and Hampus Lindholm scored to lead Anaheim to a 3-0 victory against Calgary in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round at Honda Center. It was a reversal of the blowout in Game 1, and it again proved Anaheim can play multiple styles and win with Andersen, who got his first Stanley Cup Playoffs shutout and is 6-0 in the postseason this year. Anaheim won six straight games to start the postseason for the first time since 2003; the Ducks last won six straight playoff games at any point in 2006. Andersen stood his ground with 21 saves in the final 40 minutes during Calgary's push to set up Lindholm's backbreaking goal. With the Ducks holding on to a 1-0 lead, Lindholm gave them some breathing room when he scored on a wrist shot to finish a rush at 11:15 of the third period. He took a drop pass from Corey Perry, and his shot from the top of the right circle to beat Ramo, who made 32 saves and gave the Flames a chance to win. Nate Thompson added an empty-net goal with 2:16 remaining in regulation to crush any flicker of life for the rally-prone Flames. Lindholm's goal came after Calgary played perhaps its best hockey of the series so far. But the Flames were outplayed for the first period and a half and needed Ramo's 19 saves in the first period to keep it a one-goal game.
Anaheim's 1-0 lead after one period could easily have been more if not for Ramo, who stopped Ryan Getzlaf on a 2-on-1 and Kyle Palmieri and Jakob Silfverberg on high-quality chances. Beleskey scored the only goal through the first 51 minutes when he converted Kesler's saucer pass threaded through two defenders at 7:27 of the first period. The Ducks transitioned quickly in the neutral zone as Francois Beauchemin passed to Silfverberg to start the play. Beleskey one-timed Kesler's pass from the right side past a helpless Ramo for his second goal in as many games. Andersen's best save came when he stopped Mason Raymond from point-blank range early in the second period. He said his defense did the rest and kept Calgary to the outside and limited second chances. Andersen's six straight wins tied a club record set by Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 and matched by Ilya Bryzgalov in 2006. The Flames have been outscored 9-1 in the series. Calgary's top-end forwards, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Jiri Hudler, had no shots on goal through 50 minutes and managed a total of two for the game. The Flames scratched Micheal Ferland and Drew Shore. David Wolf made his NHL playoff debut and played some on Calgary's top line. Hartley said the Flames found out Ferland was unavailable after warm-ups. Including the playoffs and regular season, Anaheim has won 21 straight games at home against Calgary dating to Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in 2006. But the series shifts back home for the Flames.
Game 3 - Anaheim @ Calgary 3-4 OT - Tue, May 5 - Ducks Lead 2-1
Mikael Backlund couldn't have picked a better time to score his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal. Backlund scored 4:24 into overtime to give the Flames a 4-3 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Saddledome. During a lengthy delayed penalty call, the Flames controlled the puck before Backlund snapped a shot from the point that went through a screen and past Frederik Andersen to give the Flames their first win of the series. Backlund was the extra attacker who jumped over the boards when goaltender Karri Ramo came to the bench. Backlund's winner came after Ramo was tested early in overtime, denying Getzlaf and Corey Perry on back-to-back chances 23 seconds apart. He stopped Getzlaf's shot from the high slot, then turned aside Perry on the doorstep on the next rush. Calgary forced overtime when Johnny Gaudreau scored from the lower left circle with 19.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Coincidental penalties to Calgary's Matt Stajan and Anaheim's Simon Despres, followed by a delay of game call to Anaheim's Sami Vatanen for flipping the puck over the glass and into the crowd, put Calgary up one skater. Ramo then went to the bench for an extra attacker, giving Calgary a 5-on-3 advantage, and Gaudreau tied it when he came off the half-wall and picked the top corner on the short side over Andersen's shoulder. It was the first overtime playoff game for the Flames since April 16, 2009, and their first at home since April 22, 2007. The victory was the third for the Flames in this year's playoffs when trailing after two periods; they were third in the NHL with 10 such wins during the regular season. After being outscored 9-1 in two losses at Anaheim, Calgary took its first lead of the series on Brandon Bollig's second goal of the playoffs 2:07 into the game. But Anaheim got even five minutes later. With the puck at the bottom of the circle, Getzlaf zipped a pass across the top of the crease that Patrick Maroon tapped past Ramo at 6:57 to tie the game. Getzlaf also helped set up the go-ahead goal with 5:50 remaining in the first, knocking down TJ Brodie in Calgary's end. That allowed Despres to circle behind the net and center a pass that bounced off the skate of Perry and across the goal line to put the Ducks ahead 2-1. The goal gave Perry a League-leading 14 points this spring and moved him ahead of Teemu Selanne into second on Anaheim's all-time franchise playoff scoring list with 70 points. Getzlaf is tops with 86 points.
Calgary pulled even early in the second period. While killing a tripping penalty to Stajan, Colborne picked up a turnover by Hampus Lindholm at the Calgary blue line, went in alone on Andersen and pulled the puck backhand-to-forehand before pushing it past the goaltender's pad at 4:17 to tie the game 2-2. The goal came on Calgary's sixth shot of the game. Anaheim needed a little more than four minutes to regain the lead. Jakub Silfverberg had his stick lifted on Ryan Kesler's centering pass from below the goal line, but Matt Beleskey, following up on the play, picked up the loose puck and fired a shot over Ramo's glove at 8:20 for a 3-2 lead. Flames rookie Sam Bennett appeared to tie the game with 6:22 remaining in regulation when his wraparound went off Andersen's pad, but video review was inconclusive in determining whether the puck completely crossed the goal line. The Flames rebounded to force overtime with Gaudreau's goal. Calgary scratched Micheal Ferland for a second straight game. He leads the Flames with 42 hits in the playoffs but hasn't dressed since sustaining an undisclosed injury in the first period of Game 1.
Game 4 - Anaheim @ Calgary 4-2 - Fri, May 8 - Ducks Lead 3-1
Matt Beleskey scored the game-winning goal, and Frederik Andersen made 25 saves to lift the Ducks to a 4-2 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Saddledome. Including the Stanley Cup Playoffs and regular season, the Ducks have won 21 straight games at Honda Center against the Flames dating to Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in 2006.
Anaheim hasn't advanced to the conference final since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. On a four-minute power play to start the third period after Joe Colborne was assessed a double minor for high sticking at the end of the second, Karri Ramo stopped Jakob Silfverberg's initial shot but kicked the puck to Beleskey, who beat the Calgary goaltender to make it 3-2 at 1:11 with his fourth goal of the playoffs. Beleskey has one goal in each of the first four games of the series. He and Teemu Selanne are the only players in Ducks history to score in Games 1-4 of a playoff series; Selanne did so in the first round in 2011 against the Nashville Predators. Patrick Maroon scored an empty-net goal with 36.7 seconds remaining, and Andersen made saves on all eight shots he faced in the third period, including two during a 56-second, 5-on-3 man-advantage for the Flames, to earn his seventh win of the playoffs.
Silfverberg gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal early in the first period, but the Flames responded 39 seconds later. Stickhandling into the Ducks end, Johnny Gaudreau darted between two Anaheim defenders before stepping around Hampus Lindholm and breaking in on Andersen. The Ducks goalie got his pad down to stop Gaudreau from jamming the puck in, but Sean Monahan tapped the rebound into the back of the net to tie the game 1-1. Micheal Ferland, playing in his first game since leaving in the first period of Game 1 of the series with an undisclosed injury, stepped over the Anaheim blue line and beat Andersen to the blocker side with a slap shot from 40 feet out 67 seconds later to put Calgary ahead. Andersen's glove save against Gaudreau on a rebound at 5:32 of the second period and Ramo's point-blank pad save against Maroon at 11:00 helped to hold the score at 2-1 until a Gaudreau gaffe led to Andrew Cogliano's game-tying goal with 3:18 remaining in the period. After picking up a loose puck in the Calgary end, Gaudreau started to head up ice but was stripped by Cogliano, who took a quick return pass from Kyle Palmieri before beating Ramo between the legs to tie the game 2-2.
Game 5 - Calgary @ Anaheim 2-3 OT - Sun, May 10 - Ducks Win 4-1
When Corey Perry was desperately trying to drag himself off the ice on one leg, the Ducks grip on this Western Conference Second Round series could have been in peril. When Perry returned, and eventually shoveled the puck across the goal line while on one knee 2:26 into overtime of Game 5, the series was over.
Perry's goal Sunday lifted the Ducks past the Flames 3-2 at Honda Center. It is the first time the Ducks are a part of the NHL's final four since 2007 when they won the Stanley Cup. Perry left the game briefly earlier after a collision with Calgary's Matt Stajan in the second period, but he returned for a brief shift near the end of the period and then took regular shifts in the third and overtime.
He said he felt the collision was incidental, but didn't want to talk about what part of his leg was injured on the play. The Ducks outshot the Flames 47-19, including 7-0 in overtime. Karri Ramo made 44 saves. Ramo kept the Flames in the game, but the shots were 35-10 after the first period, and eventually he couldn't stop them all. It was a season full of surpassed expectations in Calgary and possible foundation blocks laid for future success. The Flames were predicted to finish near the bottom of the NHL standings by most preseason pundits, but Calgary not only reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs and finished ahead of the 2014 champion Los Angeles Kings for the final spot in the West, it also defeated the Vancouver Canucks and reached the second round for the first time since 2004. The Flames did so despite losing Mark Giordano, a Norris Trophy contender, to a season-ending injury. Calgary will need to improve its depth, particularly on defense, and fix its issues with possessing the puck, but Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett could be an elite young core to build around. Jiri Hudler went pointless in the first four games, but scored Calgary's first goal with Ryan Kesler in the penalty box and setup Gaudreau's goal to give the Flames a 2-1 lead. Gaudreau, a Calder Trophy finalist, led the Flames with nine points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sunday was his 100th game of the season, including preseason, regular-season and playoff games. That's more than double what he played the previous three seasons for Boston College. Kesler had Anaheim's first goal, a power-play one-timer from Jakub Silfverberg. Their linemate at even strength, Matt Beleskey, scored the game-tying goal 59 seconds into the third period with a man-advantage. Beleskey set a Ducks record by scoring in his fifth consecutive postseason game. The Ducks dominated the third period, but Calgary still had a 2-on-1 in the final seconds of regulation. Anaheim controlled play early in overtime before Perry scored and set off the celebration. For Bruce Boudreau, it is his first trip to the conference finals as an NHL coach. For Perry and captain Ryan Getzlaf, it is the first trip to the conference final in eight years, but for the majority of the Anaheim players it is also a bit of redemption. In each of the past two postseasons, the Ducks have had a 3-2 series lead only to lose Games 6 and 7. In 2013 it was in the opening round to the Detroit Red Wings, but last season it was in the second round and the rival Kings were involved. Los Angeles defeated the Ducks in Game 7 at Honda Center, and Boudreau said after the morning skate Sunday his players hoped to make amends for the way that series ended. It might be a year later than originally expected, but the Ducks will get their chance to square off with the Blackhawks.
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