ANAHEIM — Jakob Silfverberg’s last home game as a Duck was also Sam Colangelo’s first, and they skated on a line together in the final 60 minutes of the season at Honda Center, where Calgary prevailed, 6-3.
“Right as we got here, they had a big surprise for me, my family was already here, the owners were here, the front office and a lot of people, it’s been a (unique) day with a lot of emotions,” said Silfverberg, who announced this week that he is retiring from the NHL after playing 11 of his 12 seasons with the Ducks but will continue his career in Sweden.
“Tough start to the game, but we made a good push in the third and played some really good hockey. The crowd was awesome,” he continued. “Unfortunately we couldn’t make it all the way but I’m really appreciative of what the team has done for me, personally, and my family. It’s been an awesome day that me, my kids and my wife will remember forever.”
Ducks Coach Greg Cronin first praised Silfverberg as a person, father and husband, as well as a mentor who was willing to step outside his comfort zone and become more vocal in the midst of some very young teammates.
“When Leo [Carlsson] gets done playing or when he’s at the peak of his career, when he’s a superstar, he’s going to reflect back on how blessed he was to have (Silfverberg) as a role model,” Cronin said.
All sentimentality and fanfare receded quickly as the result of a quick start from the Flames, who struck twice in each of the first two periods. The juxtaposition of a soon-to-retire mainstay and a recent college graduate making his NHL debut got overshadowed by an even more stark contrast, that of the Ducks’ first 40 minutes Friday to their final 20, in which they nearly erased a four-goal deficit with three unanswered goals.
John Gibson stopped 21 shots in the final home game of the sixth consecutive non-playoff season for the Ducks, who have lost 15 of 18. They finished with just 12 home victories this season, fewer than every team except NHL-worst San Jose with 11.
Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, a former Junior King, had 19 saves, getting the call since No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom faced the Kings on Thursday.
Between the Flames’ first-period goals by Andrew Mangiapane (5:54) and Nazem Kadri (11:53), there was a video salute and spirited ovation for Silfverberg, complete with a chorus of “Ohh, ahh, Silfverberg” from those on hand for fan appreciation night.
Mangiapane scored his first goal in 11 games, while shorthanded. He pressed Carlsson on the forecheck and lifted Carlsson’s stick to create a turnover, later finishing what he started at the back post.
Kadri tallied despite being the only Flame among four Ducks after a failed poke check by Trevor Zegras at the defensive blue line. Kadri eased ahead, burned Jackson LaCombe with a cut inside and then snapped a shot past Gibson.
“It seemed like we were still in the celebration mode, and they were coming out buzzing after they played last night, and they sustained it for two periods,” Cronin said, adding that he had difficulty singling out a player who was performing effectively early.
Calgary extended its lead 5:43 into the middle frame, completing its variety pack of goals with a power-play marker. Andrei Kuzmenko, who finished with a hat trick, received the puck at the left post and glided across the goal crease to stuff the puck through Gibson.
The Flames singed the Ducks a fourth time with 1:32 left in the frame. Connor Zary beat Alex Killorn off the left-wing wall to start a give-and-go play with Jonathan Huberdeau, which concluded with Zary lifting a backhand shot up over Gibson’s shoulder from in tight.
At the 2:54 mark of the third period, before which Cronin said he implored his club to offer the fans more, the Ducks gave them something to appreciate with Colangelo’s first career goal, and then again at 6:13 with a dazzling dish from Zegras to Frank Vatrano.
Isac Lundeström won an offensive-zone faceoff and then tipped a Radko Gudas point shot. With the puck teetering in front of the goal line, Colangelo pushed it home for his first glorious moment as a pro.
“It felt incredible,” said Colangelo, who had his parents and two of his closest friends in the stands. “I kind of blacked out for a second there. Just tried to get a little celly in and enjoy it with the teammates. They were great to me all day, the last couple of days. It was a great feeling.”
“It just makes me want to work even harder. I want to chase that feeling and have that feeling many more times in my career.”
Then, Zegras got the puck from LaCombe, moving behind the net to his right and looking in that direction before making a no-look backhand pass to his left for Vatrano’s tap-in tally, his team-best 34th of the season.
“Credit to Frankie for being down there and having his stick loaded, ready to go. If that’s somebody else, maybe they don’t see it coming, it was a Magic Johnson [style] pass,” Cronin said.
The Ducks trimmed their deficit to one with 12:59 to play. Rookie defenseman Olen Zellweger skated silkily to the top of the left circle and let fly with a snapshot for his second career goal.
That influx of emotion proved ephemeral as with 5:38 remaining the Flames scored for the second time with the man advantage. Kadri and Huberdeau each snagged their second assist and Kuzmenko’s second goal of the game effectively decided its outcome.
“You have this low of being emotionally flat to this high of making it 4-3 and all the momentum in the world, and we take a penalty, which has been, seriously, a thorn in our rear end since the beginning of the year,” Cronin said.
With 2:41 showing on the clock, Kuzmenko completed his hat trick, the second of his career, with both coming against the Ducks. He followed up to pop home Martin Pospisil’s rebound. Pospisil and MacKenzie Weegar each earned their second assists of the evening, leaving the Ducks’ rally to fall short.
“It was an emotional rollercoaster of a game,” Cronin said.
Before the game, Silfverberg received a Rolex watch, a customized table tennis table and a gaming chair from different portions of the organization.
