ANAHEIM – Invoking his name can be seen as sacrilegious and doing so comes with a great deal of risk. But when you want to be a difference maker on the ice, the element of risk is inherent.

So Hampus Lindholm, what comes to mind when you think of Nicklas Lidstrom?

“He’s an unbelievable defenseman,” said Lindholm, the Ducks’ immensely talented second-year defender. “One of the best ever. He’s a huge role model. Both him and Scott Niedermayer for me.

“The way they played the game, they made it look so simple. That’s how you want to be as a d-man. That’s as close to perfect as it comes, I would say.”

The sixth pick of the 2012 NHL draft, Lindholm isn’t near that rarefied air space. He is just 21 and who knows if the young Swede can ever reach the exalted status of his soon-to-be Hockey Hall of Fame countryman and his Ducks assistant coach, who was inducted in 2013?

But the more games Lindholm plays, the more apparent it is he’s ahead of the game at his stage. His coach, Bruce Boudreau, sees someone at his position who can be special, and moments like Sunday night present evidence of that.

Holding a 1-0 third-period lead against Calgary and watching the Flames gather themselves in Game 2 and push toward a tying goal, Lindholm watched the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry move up the ice with the puck.

Instead of pulling up as he hit Flames’ blue line to watch Getzlaf and Perry operate, Lindholm saw the chance to keep going and got in position to handle a drop pass from Perry. As he skated inside the right circle, Lindholm angled his body toward the net and turned loose a wicked wrist shot.

The puck, in a flash, flew past the glove of Calgary goalie Karri Ramo and became Lindholm’s first playoff goal. A one-goal lead was doubled and the Ducks were on their way to a 3-0 win and a two-game lead in their Western Conference semifinal-round series.

It was “a perfect shot,” Boudreau said Monday before the Ducks left for Calgary ahead of Game 3. It was a play that’s beyond the routine for most NHL defensemen.

“He’s the type of player that can make those plays happen,” said Francois Beauchemin, Lindholm’s defense partner. “He’s still only 21 and still got a lot of ways to go. But he’s certainly in the right direction of doing it.

“He’s got the capabilities of being one of the best. If he keeps improving like he’s been the last couple of years, he’s going to do great.”

The play itself was a manifestation of Lindholm’s increasing willingness to push the issue. Arguably the Ducks’ best one-on-one defender, Lindholm often operated deep in the offensive zone and nearly set up Patrick Maroon for a goal on a cycle play that’s usually left for forwards to do.

Lindholm has a point in five of the Ducks’ six playoff games, all wins. He has six points in all, and Corey Perry has an easy answer for what he is seeing in their budding star.

“Confidence,” the Ducks’ winger said. “When you have confidence, you can do a lot of things. He’s a guy that when he’s rushing the puck, when he’s on his toes and jumping in the play in the offensive side of the game, he’s going to be successful.

“I don’t think you can ask for much more from him right now. He’s been everything we’ve asked and even more.”

Conventional wisdom is a Stanley Cup champion needs to have an elite No. 1 defenseman as the anchor of its blue line. Recent winners have included the Kings with Drew Doughty, Chicago with Duncan Keith and Boston with Zdeno Chara.

Go back further and Pittsburgh had a developing young Kris Letang while Detroit was blessed with Lidstrom and the Ducks had Niedermayer. It has been widely suggested that these Ducks don’t have that. They may now have someone well on his way.

“Well I think at some point, you’ll find him being that,” Boudreau said. “I think he can do a lot of things. I’m saying by the time he’s 23, they’ll be talking about him.”

Beauchemin watches over Lindholm on the ice, making sure the youngster is in the right spots and continually offering quick advice during a stoppage in play. The 10-year veteran also acts as a protective big brother, tempering suggestions about the extent of Lindholm’s potential.

Let stardom come naturally.

“He has the potential,” Beauchemin said. “We all know it. I’ve seen a lot of guys, players that have been good their first couple of years and (fall off). I don’t think Hampus will be that way but it’s happened before.

“I think he’s got the right attitude and the right work ethic. The right mental aspect. He’s got everything going for him. And he’s just going to be great. But it won’t be in a few years. I’ll be looking forward to seeing him play five, six years from now.”

Teammates and others referred to Lidstrom as “The Perfect Human” with his combination of superior play and gentlemanly demeanor. The easygoing Lindholm is still at the nascent of his career, his impact in these playoffs and future seasons needing to play out.

Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman seven times. The greatest of his generation. But that isn’t keeping Lindholm from shooting high.

“That’s what I’m aiming for,” Lindholm said. “We’ll have to see if I get there or not. But you want to be the best. You want to be the best d-man on the team and the best in the league.

“The guys that don’t aim for that are kind of not really pushing themselves. If I can ever come close to a guy like that or Scott Niedermayer, I’ll be very happy.”

NOTES

John Gibson practiced Monday and accompanied the Ducks after being unavailable for Games 1 and 2 due to the flu. Jason LaBarbera has been backing up Frederik Andersen as Gibson had to recover from a hand injury and missed the first round. … Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is one of three finalists for the Mark Messier Leadership Award. The others are Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Winnipeg’s Andrew Ladd.

Contact the writer: estephens@ocregister.com