CALGARY -- The Anaheim Ducks spotted the Calgary Flames an early 2-1 lead but scored a power-play goal early in the third period to break a 2-2 tie. The Ducks went on to win 4-2 and take a 3-1 series lead in this second-round Western Conference series.
The Ducks can close out the Flames at home on Sunday night and advance to their first Western Conference final since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007.
Turning point: This was by far the most competitive and entertaining of the four games from start to finish. But an ill-advised double minor penalty assessed to Joe Colborne at the end of the second period turned out to be costly to the Flames. The Ducks had opened the scoring at 3:58 of the first period on a Jakob Silfverberg goal with the man advantage. Then Matt Beleskey put home the rebound of a Silfverberg shot from in front of netminder Karri Ramo just 1:11 into the third period with the Ducks on the power play again. Although the Flames were able to kill the balance of the double minor, the damage was done.
What it means: The Flames lost for the first time on home ice this spring after winning their first contests at the Saddledome, including an overtime victory in Game 3 on Tuesday. But they could not get the tying marker they needed in the third period. Frederik Andersen was sharp for the Ducks after a bit of a shaky start stopping 25 of 27 shots. To stay alive, the Flames must now win in Anaheim, where the Ducks have dominated them in winning 20 straight regular season games and two to start this series. (The Flames did win a playoff game in Anaheim in 2006.)
Player of the game: Beleskey. After going without a point in the Ducks’ four-game sweep of the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, Beleskey has become a scoring machine against the Flames. His goal early in the third marked the fourth straight game he was tallied. Playing with Ryan Kesler and Silfverberg, the trio has been a thorn in the Flames’ sides all series and on Friday delivered a killer blow.
Stat of the game: 56 seconds. That’s how long the Flames had a 5-on-3 advantage midway through the third period, when first Kyle Palmieri for hooking and Andrew Cogliano for holding were sent to the box. But unlike in Game 3, when the Flames struck with a two-man advantage with 19.5 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, the Flames could get little organized during the lengthy 5-on-3 as the Ducks controlled play off the faceoff for much of the power play.
What’s next: Game 5 is set for 7 p.m. PT on Sunday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
