LA Sports Hub
Fansided

Anaheim Ducks: The Keys to the Series Sweep Against the Flames

By Jamaal Artis

Apr 19, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Calgary Flames during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Anaheim Ducks won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Calgary Flames during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Anaheim Ducks won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Fans of the Anaheim Ducks can rejoice! After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs they advance this season with a series sweep.

With a 3-1 win in Calgary the Anaheim Ducks swept their first round series against the Calgary Flames, and now await the winner of the Edmonton Oilers/San Jose Sharks series.  This was the fifth series sweep in franchise history and the Ducks were able to maintain their 13 year home winning streak against the Flames.

Also by taking care of business, the Ducks will have time to recover from injuries to their defensemen. With that being said, here are the keys to the Ducks series win:

Roster Depth

The Ducks came into the series without the services of their best defensemen Cam Fowler, and after Game 2 the Ducks would be without defenseman Sami Vatanenas well.  But the Ducks roster depth paid off young defenseman like Shea Theodore, Josh Manson, and Brandon Montour kept the Flames best players off the board and Theodore leads all defensemen in points.

With the series ending so quickly, the Ducks probably won’t start their next series for another week, so they’ll want to get healthy but they already know that their roster is up to the task.

Goaltending

There were some big question marks when the series started if Ducks goaltender John Gibson would be able to handle the spotlight as he was now the bonafide sole starter in the net.  Gibson was not perfect and was even pulled in Game 3, but he seemed to come up big when it counted the most.

More from LA Sports Hub

Gibson stopped all 35 shots he faced in the third period in his 3 wins keeping the Flames from tying the score allowing for the Ducks to win.

Don’t Call it a Comeback

The Ducks proved to be the masters of the comeback, in game 1 they overcame a 2-1 deficit to win 3-2.  In game 2 The Ducks got the late game winner with only 3 minutes left in the game.  In game 3 the Ducks pulled off the huge comeback, coming back from a 4-1 deficit leading to the 5-4 overtime win.

That kind of resiliency is what the team needs as they try to get to the Stanley Cup finals, it will make life difficult for the opposing team as no lead would be safe as long as the Ducks are on the ice.

Next: Predicting the first ten picks of the 2017 NBA Draft

The Anaheim Ducks didn’t play a perfect series but they executed their game plan, protected their home-ice, and weathered injury issues.  As they go on the Ducks will have to continue recall what they learned from this and succeed on getting back to a Stanley Cup Final.

Home/Anaheim Ducks