[Critch]

2037/38 Playoffs Round 1 - Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames are one of the regular playoff opponents, the divisional seeding means you see the same divisional rivals in the first couple of playoff rounds almost every year. 2031/32 we beat them in seven, 2033/34 we beat them in six, 2035/36 we beat them in seven. We've been locked into a playoff series with Calgary this year for a while, we were both clear of fourth but well behind first so short odds to finish second and third for a while, in the end Calgary got second and have home advantage.

We only played them once in the regular season this year, a 6-3 Anchorage win in November. Only playing a divisional rival once in the regular season seems a bit off.

Their star player is LW Jakub Moravec, he missed our last playoff series with injury but he's fit this year, and goaltender Leland Griffith. Griffith won the Vezina trophy the year before last, was the West's goalie in the All Star game last year, and won a gold at this year's Olympics as the US's goaltender. Lucas Wall apparently won a bronze as Canada's goaltender.

Game 1 - Anchorage Huskies 1 Calgary Flames 4
We've had a few injuries in the last few weeks of the season but most of them are cleared up or almost cleared up now. Johan Dahlberg is gone for the year, Oskar Vuollet and Matt Leader both miss game one but should be back soon. It's Leader's replacement, John Fireman (just back from injury himself), who gets called for a roughing penalty that leads to Calgary's first goal, a power play goal from William McIsaac at 7:18. Calgary go 2 up at 9:14 with a goal from Trae Wilke, but Peter Hrovatin pulls one back for Anchorage at 11:42 and it's 2-1 after the first. It's 3-1 after the second, Owen Martin scoring for Calgary, and it's 4-1 at the end.

Game 2 - Anchorage Huskies 4 Calgary Flames 3
Same lines as last game, Vuollet and Leader could both play if needed but they're not 100% and not worth the risk. I decide against dropping Lucas Karmiris too, he's playing because of Vuollet's injury, and that works out because he puts Anchorage 1-0 ahead 11:06 into the first period. Into the second and it's 2-0 from Borje Svensson at 0:58, Jordan Gavin makes it 3-0 at the four minute mark and we should be cruising. We're not though, Calgary score twice in a minute (Jeff Smith and Jessy Charon, no sign of their star Jakub Moravec yet) and they're back within a goal. Jordan Gavin makes it 4-2 at 19:34 in the second. Calgary get back within one at 3:54 in the third but Anchorage close down the game and take the win. Our power play goes 0-3, it's been a problem all year. We finished the season ranked 35th for power play, which was a late improvement because we spent most of the year 40th.

Game 3 - Calgary Flames 0 Anchorage Huskies 3
Matt Leader is back from injury so the defense should be strengthened and it is but mainly because of the goalie. Lucas Wall faces 27 shots, saves them all, and wins us the game. Jeff Martin puts Anchorage 1-0 up in the first, Peter Hrovatin adds a power play goal in the second, August Pettersson adds an empty net goal right at the end and we're 2-1 up on the series. Lucas Karmiris does pretty well as a defensive center on the fourth line, there's life in him yet just not 3.5 mil per year for the next two years worth.

Game 4 - Calgary Flames 0 Anchorage Huskies 3
Oskar Vuollet is back as third line center and we're almost at full strenght, only long term casualty Johan Dahlberg missing. The game has the same scoreline as the last game, but it's a different game. Game 3 our goalie half-way stole, Game 4 is as dominant a 3-0 as you can get. Jonas Lambert and Magnus Larsen put us 2-0 up in the first, Magnus has been on his best behaviour all season despite being a problem child. Enzo Landrey adds a late goal in the third and we stroll home 3-0, outshooting Calgary 32-19. We're off to Calgary with a chance to put them out yet again.

Game 5 - Anchorage Huskies 2 Calgary Flames 1
John Fireman picked up a knock in the last game, he'll be missing for the rest of the series with a back muscle pull. It was a tossup whether he played or Axel Sandin Pellikka so no real drop off with him being out, just the decision made for me. Enzo Landrey gives Anchorage an against-the-run-of-play lead at 7:02 in the first period. The second period passes without incident other than Anchorage have woken up after Calgary's fast but unrewarded start. In the third Declan Brinkman ties it up for Calgary at 7:06 and then Calgary have their chance, they go on the power play at 11:39 after Jeff Martin gets called for high sticking. The power play is the decider in the game, but it's Anchorage defenseman Mark Dollack scoring a back-breaking short handed goal. Calgary star Jakub Moravec finally turns up on the box score at 15:05 in the third, he takes a slashing penalty. He's not had the best of series.

So we win the series 4-1, the fourth time we've faced Calgary and the fourth time we've knocked them out. The bad news is Henry Mews will be having his annual playoff time injury vacation and will miss most of the next series with a neck injury. He's not a integral as he used to be, but he'll still be missed especially with John Fireman looking like he'll still be out too.

Next up it'll be the Vegas Golden Knights, they upset Vancouver in the first round. In the other half of the West it'll be Nashville v Minnesota, and it's Toronto v Nova Scotia and NY Rangers v Washington Capitals in the East. Since the last expansion three of the four expansion teams have struggled at the bottom of their divisions but Nova Scotia Admirals have made the playoffs all three years, not sure what they're doing but they're doing something right.