Calgary Flames vs. Anaheim Ducks Preview, Scores and Prediction

The Anaheim Ducks did what most thought they would do by sweeping the Winnipeg Jets to advance to the second round of the NHL Playoffs, but there weren’t many who believed the Calgary Flames would even make the playoffs, much less beat higher seeded Vancouver to make it to round 2. The Ducks will have their hands full with the tenacious Flames, who dug themselves out of some deep holes in their first round matchup against the Canucks. Many will pick Anaheim to sweep Calgary much like they did the Jets, but they could be in for a big surprise. Check out the Sports Interaction betting odds on the Calgary Flames vs. Anaheim Ducks series.

Calgary Flames:
Calgary forwards Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau combine for 41 years of age, but they showed that they could play like seasoned veterans against Vancouver. The two came to life in the first round, leading the team in minutes played and goals scored to help the Flames come back from multiple goal deficits. Defensively, Michael Ferland has established himself as a physical and dominating presence, playing the role of agitator but also scoring two goals in the first round. As a last line of defense, Jonas Hiller was a brick wall against Vancouver and will have something to prove against his old team. If the Flames can find consistency from their young scorers and use their aggressive style of defense to slow down Ahaheim’s fast and furious forwards, they could find a way to be victorious as the +200 underdogs in round 2.

Anaheim Ducks:
Never say never with the favored at -278 Ducks. There were several times where it appeared the Jets would easily defeat Anaheim in the first round, but the Ducks kept coming back. They had 18 regular season comeback wins, which means you can never feel safe playing with a lead against them. Ryan Kesler is playing outstanding hockey and Jakob Silverberg’s play in the first round was eye opening. In goal, Frederik Andersen hopes to carry over momentum from a great first round against Winnipeg after a so-so regular season, but his past play against Calgary hasn’t been stellar. Anaheim can shed the paper tiger status if they can manage to put this series away quickly, but they’ll need to not fall behind in games as they tend to do.

Prediction:
Calgary will give Anaheim everything they’ve got but it might not be enough. Anaheim simply has too much depth at forward and too many guys who can score on top of having a great deal of playoff experience under their belts. Anaheim could have trouble keeping up with Calgary’s offense, who are riding a wave of momentum after the series win against Vancouver, but the likelihood of another upset seems like a long shot. Calgary will need to be flawless on both offense and defense while Anaheim simply needs to continue to play their game without making too many mistakes. Don’t be surprised if the Ducks complete another sweep.

Pick: Anaheim in 5.