Calgary wanted to eliminate Vancouver, and send the Canucks home without the Flames having to follow them to British Columbia. The Flames would be able to do that, as they will join the Anaheim Ducks (their opponent in round two), and the Chicago Blackhawks as teams out west who have clinched their spots. The only team left to do it is either the Minnesota Wild or the St. Louis Blues, a series in which the Wild lead 3-2. 

This series looked destined for a game seven, when Calgary Flames coach Bob Hartley pulled Jonas Hiller after giving up two goals early in the first for Karri Ramo, who would finish the game giving up two goals in approximately two and a half periods of work. Pulling Hiller could have been the spark that Calgary needed to finish off the Canucks in six.

Calgary was lead in game six with goals from Michael Ferland, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Jiri Hudler, and Matt Stajan, with Ferland and Hudler each adding an empty netter for each of their second goals of the game. One key to winning the game was Calgary's ability to stay out of the box. They took only two penalties all game, both late in the first period. Vancouver would score on one of their two power plays, and if Calgary had taken any more penalties they could have lost the game. In addition to the goal scorers, David Jones also had a solid game with four assists, while defenseman Kris Russell, Dennis Wideman and T.J Brodie combined for 55 minutes on the ice and a plus six rating, the three top defenseman for Calgary this series.

Anaheim will prove to be a tough challenge for the Flames, who won two games in Vancouver to be able to win the series in six games. Winning two games in Anaheim might not be as easy, as the Ducks swept Winnipeg in their first playoff series since the Franchise's rebirth.

Vancouver will look to reload for next season, as the Canucks have once again not made the second round of the playoffs. They'll need to find a presence on offense who can help lead their team other than the Sedin twins, as Radim Vrbata lead their offense in points, while Alexandre Burrows and Zack Kassian were both scratched for the Canucks in game six.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Chris Robbins
Mostly cover Detroit Sports (Red Wings, Tigers, Lions, Pistons), Michigan and Michigan State athletics, as well as NCAA, National and International Gymnastics.