Ducks at Flames
Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has made himself at home against the Calgary Flames by collecting a goal and an assist in both contests of the Western Conference first-round series. After a fortunate bounce helped his team gain a 2-0 edge in the series and extend their 11-year home dominance over the Flames, Getzlaf and the Ducks take their show on the road for Game 3 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday.
"Lucky" is how the former Calgary Hitmen star described his pinball, go-ahead goal that caromed off the right skate of Flames forward Lance Bouma and into the net with 3:46 left in regulation of Saturday's 3-2 win. While all is going right for a Pacific Division champion Ducks squad that is 13-0-3 in its last 16 games, Calgary finds itself in the ominous position of trailing after two games in a best-of-seven series - with the team losing all nine of its previous such series. "It was just a (bad) bounce. That's the way it happens sometimes," Flames forward Kris Versteeg told the Orange County Register. "I don’t really believe in curses. It was just for whatever reason a bad-luck bounce. You can't blame anyone on that. It’s just something that happens."
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ABOUT THE DUCKS: Defenseman Shea Theodore has learned a bit from last year's postseason cameo, and that knowledge has helped him take advantage of opportunities this time around without putting his team in peril. "That's something where you just let it affect you too much," Theodore told the Orange County Register after setting up a goal in Game 2 for his third assist of the series. "Last year, you might spend more time looking around and watching. But this year, I feel like I'm more in to it and I'm more focused on the task at hand." Fellow blue-liner Sami Vatanen, who was a late scratch for Game 2 due to an upper-body injury, is traveling with the club and will be re-assessed after the morning skate on Monday, coach Randy Carlyle said.
ABOUT THE FLAMES: Mikael Backlund followed up his career-high goal total (22) this season by scoring a short-handed tally in Game 2, increasing his point total to four in his last five games. Fellow forward Sean Monahan (team-leading 27 goals) has scored in back-to-back contests after being held off the scoresheet in each of the previous four and linemate Johnny Gaudreau (team-leading 43 assists, 61 assists) notched an assist after his four-game point drought. A change of scenery might be what the doctor ordered for Calgary, which is leaving its house of horrors at the Honda Center in favor of Scotiabank Saddledome. "Obviously it's going to be fun to play at home," defenseman Dougie Hamilton said. "We can't quit. We haven't quit all season. We’re going to come out hard at home and turn the series around."
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim G John Gibson, who is sporting a .952 save percentage in his last 10 games overall, has turned aside 65 of 69 shots in this series and 112 of 118 in four games total versus Calgary in 2016-17.
2. Flames D T.J. Brodie has notched an assist in back-to-back contests and has set up four goals in his last four games versus the Ducks.
3. Anaheim C Rickard Rakell (team-leading 33 goals) has scored in both contests of the series and has three goals and as many assists in his last four games overall.