Now the first round of the playoffs will not only see a huge inter-Swiss clash with the Flames having two and the Canucks with four 'Swiss' players, it also includes both the Canucks' Sven Bärtschi and Flames defender Raphael Diaz facing their former teams, who traded them away.
The Flames secured their place in the playoffs for the first time in six years after defeating the reigning Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings 3-1 last night. Jonas Hiller stopped 33 of 34 shots and was named first star of the game, while Raphael Diaz was a scratch.
The Vancouver Canucks, the Flames' first round opponent with Sbisa, Weber, Bärtschi and Kenins on the roster, also played last night and won their match-up with the Arizona Coyotes 5-0. Yannick Weber scored two goals (second star) and Ronalds Kenins contributed the 2-0 tally. (lcu)
Check out Yannick Weber's blast from the blueline to score the Cancucks fourth goal just under two minutes after registering the 3-0 in almost the identical way:
