Preview: Ducks vs Sharks
By Michael Walters
The Anaheim Ducks(2-3-1) take a quick trip to northern California to battle the San Jose Sharks(3-3-0) before returning back home. The game starts at 7PM PT. The Ducks were 3-1-0 in the season series last year.
Anaheim Outlook:
After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers on the road, the Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks in their home opener. The Ducks had goals from their top three goal scorers, Andrew Cogliano, Cam Fowler, and Corey Perry. Nick Ritchie scored his first goal of the season, which was the game winner. Ducks won 4-2 and have now won two in a row.
For tonight’s contest, it could be an extremely physical battle. This preseason and in past seasons, this matchup has seen some hard checks and plenty of fights. The Ducks will have to maintain their discipline by avoiding taking too many penalties, especially in the second period. The Ducks have been dominant in the face-off circle, leading the league at 59.8%. Look for Anaheim to maintain puck possession after winning the draw and establishing a forecheck in the corners against San Jose.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Nick Ritchie – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano –  Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg
Ryan Garbutt – Antoine Vermette  – Chris Wagner
Joseph Cramarossa – Michael Sgarbossa– Jared Boll
Defense
Cam Fowler – Sami Vatanen
Clayton Stoner  – Josh Manson
Shea Theodore – Kevin Bieksa
In Net:
John Gibson (Unconfirmed)
San Jose Outlook:
The Sharks have gotten off to a 3-3-0 start. They beat the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Islanders all in one goal affairs. They lost to the New York Rangers giving up seven goals and were just shut out by Detroit. They also lost by one goal to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Sharks haven’t lived up to expectations record wise so far after their Stanley Cup run last season, but it’s still early. Brent Burns leads the team with three goals and nine total points. Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Tomas Hertl all have two goals on the season. San Jose usually plays Anaheim tough, so tonight should be an entertaining contest.
Projected Lineup (Dailyfaceoff.com)
Offense
Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Mikkel Boedker – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Patrick Marleau – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward
Matthew Nieto – Tommy Wingels – Melker Karlsson
Defense
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon – David Schlemko
In Net:
Martin Jones (Confirmed)
Want to hear more about the Ducks? Click the link below for our latest show!
Want to be an Editor or Writer? Join The Puck Network!
DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team
Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, san jose sharks