Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames Preview, Scores and Results

The Vancouver Canucks will host the Calgary Flames in a best-of-seven series in the first round of the NHL playoffs on Wednesday. Neither team made the playoffs last year. In fact, Calgary hasn’t reached the postseason since 2006, which makes their appearance, in spite of a young but up-and-coming roster, even more surprising. Vancouver, on the other hand, missed the playoffs last year but had qualified for post season play for nine consecutive seasons prior to the 2013-14 season.

Calgary Flames:
Many wrote the Flames off when team MVP Mark Giordano was ruled out for the remainder of the season in February after tearing his biceps. Instead, they rattled off a 12-6-3 record without the would-have-been Norris Trophy Candidate. In Giordano’s absence, Sean Monahan stepped up big time, netting 31 goals and clocking the most ice time for Calgary forwards. Defensively, the Flames ranked No. 1 in the NHL for shots blocked this season while Jonas Hiller held a .918 save percentage in the regular season. Calgary is known for its blue-collar attitude, with coach Bob Hartley putting his young players to work, a system which has made them a cohesive group. Calgary can make a run if the group of youngsters can stay mentally tough when it matters.

Sports Interaction’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds

Vancouver Canucks:
The Canucks made some wholesale changes in the offseason and new coach Willie Desjardin has been able to maximize his roster with a mixture of veteran presence and up-and-coming stars. Both Henrik and Daniel Sedin are still wreaking havoc on the ice, leading the team in scoring as Daniel notched 76 points and Henrik had 73. Vancouver also had a game-changing injury as starting goalie Ryan Miller has been out with a knee injury since February. Eddie Lack took over and went 13-7-2 in 22 games and had .921 save percentage. The Canucks have had some bad habits this season, falling behind early and rallying too little too late or getting a big lead and nearly losing in the final minutes. If they can keep out of either of these situations throughout the series, they have a good chance to advance.

Predictions:
What this series comes down to is speed and youth versus experience and great puck possession. Calgary has some of the most exciting young players in the league with Gaudreau and Monahan, and they’ll bring a lot of intensity to this first round series. Because statistically, these teams are quite well-matched, the series should go at least six games. During the regular season, out of six meetings, the Flames won four of those games. Our current odds have Vancouver as a -165 favorite, with the Flames as the +119 underdogs. Because of the Flames’ roster issues, this time I’m going to have to agree with the Sports Interaction odds, and give this series to the favoured Canucks.

Pick: Canucks in seven games.