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Ducks look to apply killer instinct, take 3-0 series lead

Tuesday, 05.05.2015 / 3:22 PM

By Aaron Vickers - NHL.com Correspondent / Ducks-Flames series blog

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Ducks-Flames series blog
Ducks look to apply killer instinct, take 3-0 series lead

CALGARY -- The Anaheim Ducks know the importance of winning Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round series against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; USA, SN, TVA Sports).

A victory in Calgary will put the Ducks up 3-0 in the best-of-7 series and push the Flames to the brink of elimination. A loss opens the door for the Flames.

"We were able to do it in Winnipeg, and it certainly puts all the pressure on them if we are able to come in here and steal a game," Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler said. "We understand the importance of it. As soon as you let teams back in the series and they start to gain some confidence, then the wheels start spinning for them and come Game 4 they have a lot of confidence and momentum.

"Tonight is an important hockey game for us and we're not taking it lightly. We know what to expect from them and we're up for the challenge."

The Ducks didn't allow the Winnipeg Jets the opportunity to come back in the first round. Instead, Anaheim went to MTS Centre in Winnipeg, one of the NHL's loudest buildings, and completed the sweep.

They plan to draw on that in silencing another raucous crowd in Calgary.

"We're expecting the building to be the same way it was in Winnipeg," said Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf, who has a banner hanging in his honor from his junior days with the WHL Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. "We're excited for it. It was a fun time for us being part of that. It's always important, but when the crowd gets going and stuff we get excited. It's a fun building to go out and be a part of. We're going to have to come out and weather their storm at the start of this game.

"It's always fun when crowds are against you. As players, we're competitors, and when people are against you, crowds are going, those kinds of things we all get up. It doesn't matter if it's home or away."

Anaheim outscored Calgary 9-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. In the second half of Game 2, the Flames carried the play but were unable to beat Anaheim goaltender Frederik Andersen, who had his first NHL playoff shutout in the 3-0 win.

With a boost of confidence and the home crowd behind the Flames, the Ducks are aware of the challenge ahead.

"The first game I thought that we played pretty well and I don't think Calgary played as well as they could have," said Anaheim forward Tim Jackman, who spent parts of four seasons with Calgary from 2010-14. "They outplayed us for a little while in the last game. I think they found their game a little bit and I expect tonight to be a challenge and a tough game. Now they have their crowd and it's going to be a tough environment to play."

Here are the projected lineups:

DUCKS

Patrick Maroon - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry

Matt Beleskey - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg

Andrew Cogliano - Rickard Rakell - Kyle Palmieri

Emerson Etem - Nate Thompson - Tim Jackman

Hampus Lindholm - Francois Beauchemin

Cam Fowler - Simon Despres

Sami Vatanen - Clayton Stoner

Frederik Andersen

Jason LaBarbera

Scratched: James Wisniewski, Korbinian Holzer, Jiri Sekac, Tomas Fleischmann

Injured: John Gibson (flu)

FLAMES

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Jiri Hudler

Sam Bennett - Mikael Backlund - Joe Colborne

Micheal Ferland - Matt Stajan - David Jones

Brandon Bollig - Josh Jooris - Mason Raymond

Kris Russell - Dennis Wideman

TJ Brodie - Deryk Engelland

David Schlemko - Raphael Diaz

Karri Ramo

Jonas Hiller

Scratched: Drew Shore, Corey Potter, Markus Granlund, David Wolf, Tyler Wotherspoon

Injured: Ladislav Smid (upper body), Mark Giordano (bicep), Paul Byron (lower body), Lance Bouma (upper body)

Status report: Gibson is recovering from the flu and joined the morning skate late in progress. LaBarbera is expected to back up Andersen for a third consecutive game.

Who's hot: Perry has three goals and nine points in a four-game point-scoring streak. … Getzlaf has five assists and six points in his past two games. … Lindholm has one goal and five points in a four-game point-scoring streak. … Andersen has 53 saves on 54 shots faced in the series.

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