Canucks vs. Flames: Preview and Prediction for the 2015 NHL Playoffs Matchup
For the first time in more than a decade, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks will match up against each other in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The pairing is an appealing one for both sides. Not only does it offer a relatively easy travel schedule by the standards of Western Canada, the Flames and Canucks have both experienced some of their best moments in franchise history after disposing of each other.
All told, the two teams have played each other six times in the postseason, all in Round 1. Calgary has won four series, while Vancouver has won twice.
Calgary claimed the 1989 Stanley Cup after starting the playoffs with an epic seven-game battle with the Canucks, triumphing in overtime on a controversial goal by Joel Otto. In 1994, the Canucks returned the favour with a Game 7 double-overtime winner by Pavel Bure before going on to lose to the New York Rangers in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final.
Ten years later, it was Calgary's turn again. In 2004, ex-Canuck Martin Gelinas—now a Calgary assistant coach—scored the overtime winner in Game 7, launching the Flames on a run that would end in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Canucks also beat the Flames 3-0 in a best-of-five Smythe Division Semifinal when they went to their first Stanley Cup Final against the New York Islanders in 1982, but they lost to Calgary in 1983 and 1984.
This time around, the Canucks are back in the postseason picture after a one-year absence, while the Flames are making their first playoff appearance in six years.
Here's a thorough look at how the Pacific Division series breaks down.
Regular-Season Recap
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Vancouver Canucks
After finishing 25th overall during a disastrous 2013-14 season during John Tortorella's one-year tenure, the Vancouver Canucks rebounded in all aspects of their game under 58-year-old NHL rookie coach Willie Desjardins, ending the season ranked eighth in the NHL standings with 101 points.
The Canucks enjoyed bounce-back years from veteran core players like twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows and Alex Edler as well as strong performances from new free-agent additions Radim Vrbata and Ryan Miller.
When Miller was sidelined with a sprained knee on February 22, backup goaltender Eddie Lack capably stepped in to secure the Canucks' playoff position in a tightly contested Pacific Division.
Calgary Flames
Expected to take a baby-step forward from their 27th overall finish in 2013-14 as a rebuilding team, the Calgary Flames instead started the season strong and never looked back.
Calgary opened the season with a 5-4-1 record in its first 10 games and finished even stronger, going 6-3-1 to finish the year with 97 points and edge out the Los Angeles Kings for the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
The Flames were led up front by a career year from veteran right wing Jiri Hudler, whose savvy experience proved to be the perfect complement for his talented young linemates—sophomore Sean Monahan, whose 31 goals tied with Hudler for the team lead, and rookie Johnny Gaudreau, whose 64 points tied him with Ottawa's Mark Stone for top scoring honours among first-year players.
On the blue line, captain Mark Giordano was being heralded as a Norris Trophy candidate—the league's best defenseman—until he suffered a season-ending biceps injury on February 25. The Flames were expected to fade from postseason contention without him; instead, the team's resolve grew stronger.
Vancouver and Calgary each won two of four head-to-head meetings in 2014-15, but the Flames earned one point more than the Canucks thanks to a 3-2 overtime victory on December 20.
Schedule and TV Info
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Game 1
Wednesday, April 15
10 p.m. ET
Calgary at Vancouver
CBC, TVA Sports, USA
Game 2
Friday, April 17
10 p.m. ET
Calgary at Vancouver
CBC, TVA Sports, CNBC
Game 3
Sunday, April 19
10 p.m. ET
Vancouver at Calgary
CBC, TVA Sports, NBCSN
Game 4
Tuesday, April 21
10 p.m. ET
Vancouver at Calgary
CBC, TVA Sports, USA
Game 5*
Thursday, April 23
TBD
Calgary at Vancouver
CBC
Game 6*
Saturday, April 25
TBD
Vancouver at Calgary
CBC
Game 7*
Monday, April 27
TBD
Calgary at Vancouver
CBC
*If necessary
Key Storylines
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Which Team Breaks Its Playoff Dry Spell?
Here's one thing the Flames and Canucks have in common: Neither team has won a playoff series since its last trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
For Calgary, that drought dates back to 2004, when a first-round victory over Vancouver sparked a run to a Game 7 Stanley Cup loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Returning after the 2004-05 lockout, the Flames lost four straight first-round series before missing the playoffs entirely for the next five years.
Vancouver's story is similar but accelerated. The Canucks' last successful playoff run ended at the hands of the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. It was followed by two humbling first-round defeats and one season outside the playoff picture.
By playing each other in Round 1, it's guaranteed that one of these teams will continue its dry spell, while the other will snap its streak.
Does the Bad Blood Remain?
The Canucks and Flames made headlines on January 18, 2014, when they opened their game at Rogers Arena with a full-scale line brawl. A total of 204 penalty minutes were handed out in the game, and Vancouver coach John Tortorella earned a six-game suspension after attempting to storm the Calgary dressing room to go after his counterpart Bob Hartley during the first intermission.
Not only is Tortorella long gone, but so are eight of the 10 players who were involved in the brawl. As the NHL has moved away from designated enforcers, both the Flames and Canucks have said goodbye to their tough guys, while other players have moved on to new teams. Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa is the only remaining active player on either team who took part in the incident. Ladislav Smid is still a Flame but has been sidelined since January after season-ending neck surgery.
The players have changed, and so has both teams' style of play. How much of the emotion from that incident will rise to the surface as playoff tensions mount?
Will Old Castoffs Reap Revenge?
The Canucks and Flames each have one player on the roster who used to fight for the other side.
Calgary signed left-wing Mason Raymond to a three-year free-agent contract last summer. He responded with 23 points in 57 games—on par with his last two seasons in Vancouver but well below his 19 goals and 45 points in his single year with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012-13.
The Canucks acquired former Calgary first-rounder Sven Baertschi at the 2015 trade deadline in exchange for a second-round pick in this summer's draft. After tearing up the AHL, Baertschi was recalled to appear in three of Vancouver's last four games. He scored his first two NHL goals of the 2014-15 season in the Canucks' last game of the year, a 6-5 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Will it be Baertschi or Raymond who makes his ex-team rue the day it let him go?
Players to Watch
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Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks
Chosen ninth overall in 2013 with a draft pick acquired when Cory Schneider was traded to the New Jersey Devils, Bo Horvat has exceeded expectations in Vancouver. Not only did he stick with his NHL club as a 19-year-old rookie, but he quickly evolved into the team's best faceoff man and checking forward. He then added 13 goals as the anchor of a dynamic fourth line.
Horvat's improvement over the course of the season has been tangible. Since he's the first blue-chip prospect to be drafted and developed in Vancouver in more than a decade, Canucks fans are excited to see how much farther the steady youngster can go before reaching his ceiling.
Dennis Wideman, Calgary Flames
When Mark Giordano was injured, no defenseman did more to fill the void for the Flames than veteran Dennis Wideman. The 32-year-old played big minutes defensively and was also able to replace the offense that Giordano provided on the power play.
Wideman finished his season tied with Johnny Gaudreau with 21 power-play points and fourth among all defensemen with a career-high 56 points, including 15 goals. He'll start the playoffs playing the best hockey of his NHL career.
Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Just as the Canucks have Sven Baertschi in their pocket as a possible secret weapon, the Flames have Sam Bennett, their fourth overall pick from the 2014 draft.
After a difficult season that saw him undergo shoulder surgery in October and then return to his junior club for just 11 regular-season and four playoff games once he got healthy, 18-year-old Bennett was recalled by the Flames on April 3. He saw his first NHL action in Calgary's last game of the season, assisting on Michael Ferland's goal on his first shift, just 33 seconds into the Flames' 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
It's not yet clear how much game action Bennett will see in the playoffs. After the great success the Flames have had integrating Sean Monahan and Gaudreau into their offense, Bob Hartley could be highly tempted to see if Bennett can also be a game-changer.
Goaltender Breakdown
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Ryan Miller/Eddie Lack, Vancouver Canucks
It wouldn't be Vancouver if there wasn't uncertainty about which one of the team's goalies will start in the playoffs.
With his $6 million salary, Ryan Miller is the No. 1 guy, but he missed nearly seven weeks of action down the stretch with a sprained knee. Miller returned to backstop the Canucks to a 6-5 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers to end the season—a meaningless game that didn't feature much defense from either side.
While Miller was sidelined, backup Eddie Lack stepped in capably, posting a 12-6-2 record and providing the goaltending the Canucks needed to reach the playoffs.
Miller finished the season with a 29-15-1 record in 45 appearances, a 2.53 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. For his part, Lack was 18-13-4 in 41 appearances, with a 2.45 GAA, .921 save percentage and a strong end to his year that saw him cap off his season with a 4-0 shutout against the Arizona Coyotes on April 9.
Experienced but rusty veteran or sharp, beloved upstart—who would you start in Game 1?
Jonas Hiller, Calgary Flames
The goaltending situation is much clearer in Calgary. Like Miller, Jonas Hiller was signed last summer as a free agent. He has delivered a solid season between the pipes for the Flames with a record of 26-19-4 in 52 appearances. His GAA of 2.36 and .918 save percentage are both a little better than his career averages from his time in Anaheim.
If Hiller falters, however, things could get interesting. Backup Karri Ramo was injured early in Calgary's April 4 game against the Oilers, and the Flames haven't released any further information on his condition. Third-stringer Joni Ortio is recently recovered from an injury of his own and stepped in for Calgary's final game of the regular season, providing a little extra rest for Hiller, who has been excellent down the stretch.
Biggest Mismatch: Playoff Experience
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According to NHL.com, the Flames lineup includes 10 players who have never appeared in a Stanley Cup playoff game and just five who have played more than 13 postseason games.
Compare that to the Canucks, whose roster still includes eight players who went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 and another, Derek Dorsett, who played in the Final just last year as a member of the New York Rangers. Vancouver's Henrik Sedin leads the way in playoff experience for Vancouver with 99 games, while twin brother Daniel has played 96.
Calgary's most-experienced playoff performers are Jiri Hudler, who played 66 games with the Detroit Red Wings and won a Stanley Cup in 2008, and Dennis Wideman, who played 44 games over four seasons early in his career with the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.
Vancouver may have the edge in playoff experience on the ice, but it's a different story behind the bench. Bob Hartley has coached 84 postseason games and won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001, though he hasn't won a playoff game since 2002. Vancouver's Willie Desjardins will be making his first-ever postseason appearance behind an NHL bench, but he did lead the AHL's Texas Stars to a Calder Cup last season.
The Canucks Will Win If They Keep the Power Play Going
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Stuck in a rut at the beginning of the season, the Vancouver Canucks' power play caught fire with three weeks to go in the season.
From March 21 to April 11, Vancouver went 11-of-33 with the man advantage—a 33.3 percent success rate that vaulted the team into a tie for eighth in the league to end the year at 19.3 percent.
The Flames' penalty-killing is below average—ranked 20th overall at 80.6 percent. However, Calgary took the third-fewest penalties in the league this season, making it doubly important for the Canucks to strike when opportunities present themselves.
The Flames Will Win If They Win the First-Line Battle
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Calgary finished the season with 241 goals, one less than Vancouver's 242. A good portion of the offense for both teams came from their top lines.
The Flames' Jiri Hudler and the Canucks' Daniel Sedin finished the season tied for eighth in NHL scoring, each with 76 points. Hudler and his linemates Monahan and Gaudreau accounted for 86 Calgary goals—just over one-third of the team's total offense.
While the Sedins are still the Canucks' spark plugs, Vancouver has generated offense from all four forward lines this season, highlighted by the 33-goal contribution from the fourth line of Jannik Hansen (16), Bo Horvat (13) and Ronald Kenins (four). Calgary has gotten big contributions from its blue line, but to win this series, its top forward group must outscore the Sedins and whoever they play with—Alex Burrows, Radim Vrbata or possibly even Zack Kassian.
Prediction: Canucks in 7
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The Canucks and Flames are two teams on similar trajectories, riding surprising seasons thanks to a mix of veteran leadership and youthful enthusiasm, which has translated to a tenacious, never-say-die approach to every game.
Vancouver has won 21 games this season after surrendering the first goal, more than any other team the league. Calgary is second, with 20 wins. But the Flames are one of the best in the league at coming back from a deficit. They've salvaged more wins when trailing after one period than any other team, going 13-14-7, while Vancouver ranks fifth at 9-16-2.
However, no lead will be safe, and seven-game series are the norm for these two teams.
Give the slight edge to the Canucks thanks to their playoff experience, goaltending depth, better special teams and home-ice advantage.
All stats courtesy of NHL.com.
