It’s not the match up that many Calgarians were hoping for, but there’s no other option now as the Flames head into the playoffs to face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
The Ducks have had Calgary’s number for decades and, to make matters worse, the team hasn’t won in Anaheim in the regular season since 2004.
Calgary has won on the Ducks’ home turf in the post-season, but only once in the 2006 playoffs. Anaheim eventually won that series in seven games.
Calgary faced Anaheim again in 2015 and again the Ducks came out on top, that time in five games.
The series begins on Thursday with two games in Anaheim and then the series shifts back to Calgary the following week. The teams will meet at the Saddledome on Monday and Wednesday.
Game 5, if needed, would be in Anaheim on Friday and Game 6 on Sunday and a final game the following Tuesday.
Flames' brass is looking forward to the series despite the odds and want to show the city their team can go all the way.
"If we can go in and win Game 1, that would give us a huge boost," said Craig Conroy, assistant GM of the Calgary Flames. "We haven't played bad; we had a great first period last game and they did a couple things off of faceoffs, they got a couple good breaks and they won the game but I felt we controlled the play most of the game except for a few break downs and that's where it cost us."
If you’re looking for tickets to the home games, the Better Business Bureau issued a warning last week to watch out for ticket scams.
The agency urges potential buyers to verify tickets at the Saddledome box office whenever possible and avoid wiring money or sending cash to anyone.
The BBB says that credit card companies offer benefits to buyers that can protect them from scammers.
