The Anaheim Ducks, who finished atop the Western Conference in 2014-15, will host the underdog Calgary Flames when the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs gets underway later this week.
After a second-round loss to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings last season, the Ducks retooled their team with the playoffs in mind. So far, it looks like the formula is successful. Anaheim needed three late-game surges, but successfully dispatched the Winnipeg Jets in four straight games.
Like the Jets, the Flames are another big-hearted Canadian club that wasn't expected to be around this late in the season. The Flames refused to be derailed by an injury to their captain Mark Giordano, then used an old-school, defensively-tight playing style to get past the Vancouver Canucks in six games. The series win was Calgary's first since the team reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2004.
The Flames and Ducks have met just once before in the playoffs—a seven-game win for Anaheim in 2006.
Here's a look at how the Pacific Division series breaks down.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Carol Schram
Flames vs. Ducks: Preview and Prediction for the 2015 NHL Playoffs Matchup
April 27th, 2015 by Carol Schram Leave a reply »
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