ANAHEIM — The days of easy first-round sweeps in the NHL playoffs went out with Wayne Gretzky, and it doesn’t matter who you draw or where you start.
Maybe that devalues an 82-game regular season, or at least the end of it, but it makes for the best postseason in sports.
The Ducks did survive Calgary, 3-2, in Game 1. They got a massive effort from Ryan Getzlaf, passion from Corey Perry, a solid defensive effort without Cam Fowler and a renewal of their year-long knack for doing just enough. They also survived a 3-on-5 and a 4-on-6 at the end.