Some thoughts from Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinal between the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames on Thursday night:

- It was a tough game right from the start for Calgary defenceman Dougie Hamilton. On the first shift of the game, Hamilton put himself in a bad position by complaining to the officials instead of playing on when a too-many-men call was missed. Hamilton ended up going to the box himself for a trip in the neutral zone. Seconds later, the Flames found themselves down 1-0 with the Anaheim fans chanting “You can’t win here!” Not the start you want in a building where you’ve lost your last 27 games.

- Hamilton found himself in the box on three different occasions in Game 1. Although taking a penalty is rarely a good thing, the timing of Hamilton’s first two infractions couldn’t have been worse (the third one wasn't great either). The first penalty occurred in the opening minute of the game and the Ducks capitalized. The second penalty was taken just after the Ducks tied the game 2-2. Instead of taking away that momentum, Hamilton gave Anaheim a prime opportunity to grab control of the game. The Flames did end up killing his second penalty, but couldn’t do the same when Lance Bouma was whistled for goaltender interference almost immediately after Hamilton left the box.

- Bad blood from the regular season didn’t spill over into Game 1 the way many expected, but discipline was still an issue for the visiting team. Calgary took seven minor penalties and gave up two power-play goals. It’s almost impossible to win that way.

- Micheal Ferland had a strong game for the Flames; he forced the issue offensively and created scoring chances. Ferland ended up with seven shots on net and three hits in less than 12 minutes of ice time. He was one of the victims of the Calgary’s parade to the penalty box because he isn’t used on the penalty kill.

- Kris Versteeg set up both of the Flames’ goals on a pair of passes that displayed his skill. His first assist was on a nice saucer pass that landed right on Sean Monahan’s stick, while the second came via a nifty backhand spin move to Sam Bennett. Versteeg is one of the few veteran forwards on the Flames who have hoisted the Stanley Cup before and it showed. He mixed it up with Corey Perry a little bit but clearly wasn’t fazed by the moment. Versteeg looked quite comfortable in Game 1.

- Ducks coach Randy Carlyle had a great clip talking about how Ryan Getzlaf – who had a goal and an assist – dominated Game 1. Getzlaf’s play was a big reason why Carlyle decided to use the Ducks’ captain in the crucial 5-on-3 situation at the end of the game. Getzlaf was great, but it didn’t help that the Flames spent much of the night in the box, giving him more room and more opportunities to do damage.