The Calgary Flames needed the "C of Red" to help them hit their stride during a first-round series win. Facing an unbeaten opponent, it may take an even more spirited crowd to inspire the Flames against the Anaheim Ducks.
Down 2-0 to the Western Conference's top seed, the Flames return to home ice in desperate need of a victory Tuesday night and hope an energetic Calgary crowd can turn the tide in a presently one-sided matchup.
The Flames seemed completely outmatched through the first four periods in this series. Corey Perry had two goals and two assists, while Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf tallied one goal and three assists in a dominant 6-1 victory in Game 1 that saw Calgary replace goaltender Jonas Hiller with Kari Ramo in the second period.
That momentum carried into Game 2 on Sunday when Anaheim peppered Ramo with 20 first-period shots. The Ducks managed only one goal during that onslaught, but it proved to be enough in a 3-0 win.
"They wanted to get the split and head home with confidence," Ryan Kesler told the Ducks' official website. "We squashed it."
Calgary's late-game play, however, inspired hope heading into Game 3. The Flames outshot Anaheim 21-14 after the first and produced several quality scoring opportunities.
"Probably the last 30 minutes, that was some Flames hockey," Joe Colborne told the team's official website. "We started generating chances, we started controlling the play a little more, spending shifts in their zone, which is nice.
"There's some positives we can take out of that. We take care of our business at home and we're coming back here for Game 5. That's how we have to look at it."
Calgary's home-ice advantage was certainly shining through in a first-round matchup with Vancouver. The Flames won all three contests at the Scotiabank Saddledome and scored four third-period goals in the Game 6 clincher.
As lively as that building was for Calgary's first home playoff game since 2009, it should be equally electric for its first second-round game since 2004.
"We have a pretty special thing going there with our fans and got an excited city behind us," Colborne said. "We're going to be ready for Game 3."
Whether that excitement is enough to topple the thriving Ducks is a bigger question.
Anaheim has outscored its opponents 25-10 to become just the sixth team since 1990 to win its first six playoff games, and it excelled in a raucous environment such as Calgary's with two wins at Winnipeg in the opening round.
Frederik Andersen has been outstanding in net, posting a .942 save percentage that ranks atop Western Conference goaltenders this postseason.
"He deserves a lot more credit," Hampus Lindholm said of Andersen. "He's a great goalie. He makes the saves when we really need them. He was solid, and he kept us in the game. We tried to help him out as much as we could. He's been huge for us."
Johnny Gaudreau, who had six points through the first six games in these playoffs, has gone scoreless in the second round. He played fewer than 15 minutes in Game 1 for the first time since March 3, and has one shot on goal per game - his first time with two consecutive games of one or fewer shots since Feb. 4-6.
Perry and Getzlaf each tallied two third-period assists Sunday, and lead the team with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Perry is only two points shy of a postseason career high, which he needed 21 games to set during Anaheim's Stanley Cup title run in 2007.
