When it comes to Ducks vs. Flames, does size matter?

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Does size matter?

That age-old question will get at least a hockey-related answer in Round 2, as the beefy Anaheim Ducks take on a young, rangy Calgary Flames team that will be playing the underdog in more ways than one.

The most apparent will be in how they tip the scale. Anaheim is one of the heaviest teams in the NHL at an average weight of 206 pounds. Calgary is the lightest at less than 194 pounds.

Presumably that means they'll be pushed around, but then again, bigger hasn't always been better in the NHL.

The Detroit Red Wings teams that won four Stanley Cups in 11 seasons between 1997 and 2008 were typically the NHL's smallest.

And the Chicago Blackhawks, the favourites to win this year out of the remaining eight teams, are not all that much heftier than the Flames.

Even if it's not an advantage for the Ducks, it'll certainly change how the series plays out.

Here's a closer look at the various matchups we can expect to see and the corresponding tale of the tape.

On the blueline

This is where the difference is least pronounced.

Anaheim's average blueliner so far in the postseason is only nine pounds heavier than the Flames.

That's an average that's skewed down by lightweights such as Kris Russell (173 pounds) and T.J. Brodie (182), but those two play enormous minutes on Calgary's back end, giving them speed and finesse.

The Ducks defence isn't enormous – and 180-pound Finn Sami Vatanen (who excels on the power play and had better than a point a game in Round 1) keeps it close – but five regulars come in at more than 205 pounds.

Up front

No one defines this mismatch more than dynamic Flames rookie Johnny Gaudreau.

"Johnny Hockey" is listed at 5-foot-9, 150 pounds by the NHL, which makes him the lightest player in the entire league this season.

He's also one of the lightest players we've seen in decades.

In the other corner, Anaheim's entire top line is filled with bruisers, with 6-foot-4 captain Ryan Getzlaf at centre, 213-pound sniper Corey Perry.

There's also the nasty, underrated Patrick Maroon, who's built like a house (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) and will play like one in front of the net.

Over all, they've got nearly 150 pounds on Gaudreau and linemates Sean Monahan and Jiri Hudler, the trio they'll likely spend most of their ice time against.