Flame for Thought
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Calgary Flames Fall To Ducks, Swept Out of First Round

By Alex Hoegler

Apr 19, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Matt Bartkowski (44) and Anaheim Ducks center Antoine Vermette (50) battle for the puck during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Matt Bartkowski (44) and Anaheim Ducks center Antoine Vermette (50) battle for the puck during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Calgary Flames played with plenty of heart and grit, but their season ended at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks for the second time in three years.

They didn’t go down without a fight. On Wednesday night, the Calgary Flames faithful were treated to some of the best hockey their team had played all season long. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing as the Anaheim Ducks completed the sweep with a 3-1 victory.

For the third time since 2006, Anaheim was simply way too much for Calgary to handle. The Flames just haven’t solved the mystery of beating their Pacific Division foes on the grandest of stages.

Calgary out shot Anaheim 37-25, won 58 percent of the faceoffs and registered 28 hits against the Ducks 15. Everything on the score sheet suggests this was a game they coulda, shoulda and woulda won.

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Summary

Flames fans had a good idea of where this one was going early on. Patrick Eaves opened the scoring 5:38 into the first period, before Nate Thompson doubled the lead 1:08 later. Brian Elliott was replaced by Chad Johnson after the first goal.

Sean Monahan brought new life by scoring with 3:53 left in the second period. For some reason, the Flames started to play harder and looked more determined after that goal…instead of the game’s first 35 minutes.

Calgary kept pushing in the third period, but the Ducks defence protected the net well and didn’t give the Flames any shooting lanes. Ryan Getzlaf‘s empty net tally with seven seconds left iced the series for Anaheim.

Game over. Series over.

What Went Wrong

Honestly, Johnson should have been the starter heading into Game 4.

Seeing how poorly Elliott played in the final period of Game 3 (plus overtime), head coach Glen Gulutzan should have seen this coming. Elliott clearly wasn’t in the right set of mind and Johnson was fresh off the bench.

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Other than that, what really went wrong for the Flames? They dominated just about everywhere stat-wise. But teams like Anaheim are just more experienced and better prepared to winning these close playoff games.

But will four disappointing games of playoff experience help Calgary get to that next level next season?

What The Loss Means

So the Flames know they won’t be playing anymore meaningful hockey until October. Now, they have to look at ways to upgrade their roster.

This was the second round of 2015 all over again. Calgary couldn’t defend leads, score late in the third period nor out-muscle Anaheim for pucks. The Ducks are just more experienced and all-around better right now.

If there was a chance to steal this series, the Flames could have used better goaltending. Elliott simply didn’t make the saves when his team needed it. The performance in Game 3 was anything but inspiring.

With both Elliott and Johnson set to hit free agency, Calgary may be better off looking at a new goaltending tandem for 2017-18. Ben Bishop is set to hit free agency, and Marc-Andre Fleury could be available in the trade market.

Next: Are the Flames a Bad Team or Just Really Unlucky?

But yeah, the Flames may want to get onto finding a new starting goalie in 2017-18. Once they do that, they’ll hopefully be ready to compete with Anaheim.

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