Ducks Sami Vatanen to be reassessed ahead of Game 3

“We play like that, give another per cent or two, we’ll turn this series right around”. At even strength, the Flames were the better team. So voice one, the only one who says anything really offensive on this clip, would seem likely to be a behind-the-scenes guy, perhaps a producer, statistician or something else.

Big-minute man Cam Fowler is out for at least the near future with a knee injury suffered in a collision with Flames captain Mark Giordano in the last week of the regular season.

Together, the two formed one of the most effective regular-season defence tandems in the National Hockey League.

The Ducks got their tying goal when defenseman Kevin Bieksa alertly spotted a awful Calgary line change and got the puck up to Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. The Ducks had already scored before the tripping penalty against Dougie Hamilton was announced over the public address system, with Getzlaf launching a slapshot that deflected off Deryk Engelland and in over Elliott’s right shoulder for a 1-0 lead 52 seconds into the first period. After all, this is the same team that lost games in the final week of the regular season against the Los Angeles Kings and these same Ducks by focusing more on settling grudges than on scoring goals. The Ducks did that in the third period, after wearing Calgary’s tire tracks in the second period. You can do the math. “Those games, especially playoff games, are a lot of fun, so I think it’s important for us to enjoy the moment and play our game”.

“He’s good all-around but when you give him seven power plays he is going to make you pay”, Flames defenceman Deryk Engelland said.

Ready for playoff hockey? Both were reasons to be optimistic that Calgary can still take a hold of this showdown. Anaheim is 47-23-13 on the season following the win while going 30-8-4 at home. The Flames were the better side at 5v5 – they out-chanced the Ducks by five in that game state – but untimely penalties and an unlucky bounce again proved costly and decided the victor. But they didn’t, and professional sport is unforgiving that way.

“I think they were probably slightly better than us in Game 1”. Naturally, Game 2 should be exciting as well.

Admittedly, Getzlaf spoke to his goal’s eventful bounce off Bouma, calling the play “lucky”.

Anaheim had a chance to seize control late in the first when Flames rookie Matthew Tkachuk took a double minor for high-sticking, but Backlund capitalized on a turnover and scored on a short-handed breakaway. They also had an apparent goal by Sam Bennett waved off in the second due to goaltender interference on John Gibson before the puck crossed the line. “We’ll get more clarification”. “We’re all professionals in here”. Thought we did a ton of good things.

Hamilton and the Flames, by the way, did not agree with the call.

Calgary almost went ahead moments later when the puck slipped underneath Gibson during a physical scrum in the crease, but video review confirmed the on-ice call of no goal. “What happened in the past, you can’t control anymore”.

That bounce came in the third period on Saturday night when the Duck’s Ryan Getslaf fired the puck and it ricocheted off Lance Bouma’s skate and into the Flames’ net.

So if the Ducks didn’t really do enough to win this game, they also did far less than enough to lose it.

“He even talked about the media and owning your game”, Gulutzan said. But you just have to stay positive.

“We’re no different. We were struggling with our power play probably for the last six weeks of the season”.

“We play a heavy game and we’re going to continue to play a heavy game and grind things out”.

They are fearless words on the surface, which Hamilton delivered in just a shade above a whisper, in the midst of a funereal Flames’ dressing room, where they were left to clutch all available straws.