Slipping Ducks end road trip in Calgary (Apr 02, 2017)
CALGARY, Alberta -- A fifth-straight Pacific Division title may be slipping away from the Anaheim Ducks.
They wrap up a four-game road trip Sunday in Calgary coming off a pair of overtime losses that leaves them tied with Edmonton for the top spot in the division. Saturday's 3-2 defeat leaves the Ducks tied with the Oilers with 97 points with four games remaining in the regular season. The Oilers currently hold the tiebreaker with two more wins.
The Ducks and Flames meet at 7 p.m. Mountain time. After that contest the Ducks close out the regular season with three home games while the Flames finish on the road in California.
"It's a big game again," said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. "These teams are teams we're fighting with for the division, for our spots in the playoffs and we've got to continue pushing forward and getting our points."
Anaheim had a late lead Saturday but Milan Lucic scored on the power play for Edmonton with 1:58 remaining in regulation time and Leon Draisaitl got the winner in overtime.
Added to Thursday's overtime loss in Winnipeg, it leaves the Ducks with 13 extra-session defeats this season.
"I guess what we have to do is flush this one because we have a big one (Sunday) night in Calgary," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. "I expect the same kind of hockey game and intensity and the emotion that's going to be displayed on the ice as well as in the building."
The Flames clinched a playoff spot on home ice Friday with their 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.
"I think what's important now is to focus one game at a time," Flames forward Alex Chiasson said. "This is not easy competition coming up. We've got all the California teams and Anaheim starting Sunday."
The Flames wrap up the regular season by facing the Ducks on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and the Sharks on Saturday.
After hosting the Flames on Tuesday, the Ducks are visited by the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday and the Kings on Sunday.
The Flames enter Sunday holding the first of two wild-card spots in the Western Conference but are just one point ahead of the Nashville Predators.
At stake in the wild-card race is an unwelcome first-round meeting with the Blackhawks, who have clinched first place in the conference.
"It's just kind of matchup time right now," Flames No. 1 goalie Brian Elliott said. "Everybody's fighting for stuff. It's going to be a battle. We'll see how it goes.
"I think it's going to shake out some way or another at the end of the year, who's playing who. We're confident that whoever we face we'll do well."
While the Ducks were preparing to face the Oilers on Saturday the Flames were resting. Head coach Glen Gulutzan did not schedule a practice for Saturday.
