Tonight the Ducks are in Calgary to take on the Flames. An Anaheim win will almost knock Calgary out of playoff contention. Needless to say, tensions will be high.
Setup
The Ducks kick off their final major road trip of the season. This one will be a Western Canadian trip with stops in Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The Ducks will need to take advantage and get points on this trip. Three of the four teams, with Winnipeg being the exception, are not making the playoffs this season.
Their first stop will be in Alberta with the “C” of Red and the Calgary Flames. They got off to a fast start this season but have faded in the last few months. Johnny Gaudreau is having a great season for Calgary. He leads the team with 82 points, 23 goals, and 59 assists. The 5’9″ Left Winger has 3 goals in his last five games. Sean Monahan is second on the team with 64 points. The Brampton, Ontario native has 4 points in his last five games.
This will be a big game for Calgary. Their playoff fate is on life support, they come into the contest 6 points back of Anaheim with 8 games left. Calgary currently sits in 5th place in the Pacific Division.
Montour Filling the Gap
The big question for the Ducks coming into this game is the health of Josh Manson. Manson suffered an Upper Body injury early in the first period against New Jersey on Sunday. There has been no update to this point. The Ducks already lost Kevin Bieska for at least the next two weeks due to a surgical procedure on his hand. As a result of Manson and Bieska absences, Brandon Montour has stepped up his game. He has 3 goals in his last five games. The first of his two against Vancouver on March 14th snapped a 50 game drought.
Outlook
The Ducks currently have 86 points. They are still very much in the race for the third position in the Pacific Division and are still within striking distance of second.
Anaheim is looking for the season split with the Flames. Calgary has taken two of the first three matchups. Once in October by a score of 2-0 and again in early January by the score of 3-2. The Ducks earned their only win, so far, in late December at Honda Center by the score of 2-1. If the previous scores are any indication, expect a long scoring affair Wednesday Night in Calgary.