Ducks at Sharks
If the previous three years are any indication, the 2015-16 Anaheim Ducks will reach the Stanley Cup Final, take a 3-2 series lead and lose Game 7 at home. But first, Anaheim must start its season and becomes the final team to do so when it visits San Jose on Saturday in the Sharks' home opener.
In coach Bruce Boudreau's first three full seasons, the Ducks lost in the first round, second round and conference final, and became the first team in NHL history to lose a Game 7 at home in three consecutive years. "... But hey, it’s a new season,'' Boudreau told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Let’s friggin’ turn that page and let’s focus to be the best we can be.” Anaheim's offseason acquisitions included adding toughness in defenseman Kevin Bieksa from Vancouver and speed in forward Carl Hagelin, obtained from the New York Rangers. The Ducks and San Jose met Oct. 3 in a preseason game marred by the Sharks' Raffi Torres skating across the ice and landing a head shot on Jakob Silfverberg, resulting in a 41-game suspension - the longest in NHL history for a hit on another player.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket, FSN San Diego (Anaheim), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (2014-15: 51-24-7, 1ST IN PACIFIC): Ryan Getzlaf (45 assists last season) and Corey Perry (33 goals in 2014-15) have been linemates since joining Anaheim in 2005-06, and it appears Hagelin is next in a long line of left wings to join the Olympic gold medalists and 2007 Stanley Cup champions. Frederik Andersen (35-12-5, 2.38 goals-against average, .914 save percentage) separated himself at Anaheim's No. 1 goaltender last season by validating his 20-5-0 campaign of 2013-14. Silfverberg, who recorded four goals and 14 assists in 18 games last postseason, returned to practice Thursday and is expected to play.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (1-0-0): San Jose opened its season with a 5-1 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday in coach Peter DeBoer's first game with the club. Newcomers paid immediate dividends as goaltender Martin Jones stopped 19 shots versus his former team and Paul Martin - acquired from Pittsburgh via free agency - joined Brett Burns to form a top blue-line pairing. Also, right wing Joonas Donskoi scored in his NHL debut and was a plus-3.
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks on Friday signed 24-year-old D Simon Despres, the 30th overall pick in the 2009 draft by Pittsburgh, to a five-year contract extension through 2020-21.
2. San Jose won the season series 4-0-1 in 2014-15, outscoring Anaheim 21-11.
3. Florida and Washington also begin their campaigns Saturday about 3 1/2 hours prior to the Ducks, who are 5-16-0 in season openers.