Flames overwhelm Canucks in Game 3 to take 2-1 series lead

Jonas Hiller won the goalie duel in a 4-2 win.

by Patrick Iversen

Apr 20, 2015, 4:50 AM UTC

Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

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Flames vs. Canucks, NHL playoffs 2015: Calgary closes out Vancouver in 6

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In a battle of two strong goaltender performances, the Calgary Flames ultimately prevailed.

Jonas Hiller only allowed two goals as the Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 4-2 in Game 3 of their first round playoff series.

Both teams got the bulk of their scoring out of the way early in the first period. Notorious non-goal scorer Brandon Bollig broke things open with a wrist shot midway through the first to give Calgary their first lead.

Vancouver didn't wait long to respond. Winger Radim Vrbata found Shawn Matthias all alone, and he fired a shot past Hiller to even things up at one goal apiece.

If there's one thing the Flames know how to do best, it's populate the front of the net on a shot from the point. They used this to perfection late in the first frame, when defenseman T.J. Brodie let loose a heavy slap shot that beat goalie Eddie Lack to give Calgary the lead once again.

The score would hold well into the third period, where the Flames scored two more goals to seal the victory and take a 2-1 series lead.

3 Things We Learned

1. Ryan Miller may never start again.

We kid, we kid. But it certainly isn’t a stretch to say Lack has pretty much stolen the starting job for himself, especially as the playoffs continue. He put on another strong performance on Sunday through two periods, the latest in a string of them this series. He was bettered by Hiller on Sunday night, but both netminders have played well during this series. You could make the argument that the final two Flames goals had more to do with the defense in front of him than Lack’s play himself.

2. Michael Ferland is a hitting machine.

He may not be a scoring threat during the playoffs, but at least the guy knows his role and plays it well. Ferland led all players in hits, and each one of them was harder than the last. It’s hard to get in a rhythm to mount a comeback when you’re getting hit by a battering ram every time you hit the ice, so credit Ferland for at least getting in the Canucks’ heads a bit -- even if Hiller was the primary reason the game remained out of Vancouver’s reach for so long.

3. Sitting down is hard.