Flames vs. Ducks: Regular season bad blood likely to spill into Game 1

We only have to look back at the last meeting between the Flames and Ducks to see the potential for bad blood.

It’s no surprise Matthew Tkachuk was in the middle of it all, as the rookie has made a name for himself this year as the Flames’ resident pest. Yet, Calgary is still extremely talented with Johnny Gaudreau at the helm of a young core.

The Ducks are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Experienced, grizzled veterans with a different head coach at the top to hopefully get them over the hump.

Outside of one scoring anomaly in December, the Ducks owned the Flames this season. Calgary was able to put up an eight-spot on the Ducks, but they were held to one goal in three of the five contests thanks to the combined efforts of John Gibson and Jonathan Bernier.

Matthew Tkachuk. The rookie is an offensive threat but can put the Flames on the penalty kill at inopportune times. He often runs hot in big situations and plays his best work on the edge, so his balancing act might be the difference in a one-goal scenario.

Ryan Getzlaf has been stellar for the Ducks this year with 73 points in 74 games, but Corey Perry struggled just a bit in a sup-par 53 point year. The Ducks will need their big guys going early should they want to coral the Flames.

The Ducks. Anaheim has a four-game win streak coming into Thursday, including two straight against the Flames. Calgary hasn’t convinced me they can win against Anaheim this season, but their speed could pose a problem in the playoffs.