Preview: Sharks vs Ducks 2009

Records

San Jose (1): 53-18-11 (117 pts) Home: 32-5-4 Away: 21-13-7
Anaheim (8): 42-33-7 (91 pts) Home: 20-18-3 Away: 22-15-4

Head-to-Head

Oct 9, 2008 - SJS 4 ANA 1
Oct 17, 2008 - SJS 0 ANA 4
Dec 11, 2008 - SJS 2 ANA 0
Mar 15, 2009 - SJS 1 ANA 0
Apr 4, 2009 - SJS 2 ANA 5
Apr 5, 2009 - SJS 3 ANA 2
San Jose won the season series 4-2.

Fights

Oct 17, 2008 - Brad Staubitz vs Nathan McIver
Oct 17, 2008 - Jody Shelley vs George Parros
Oct 17, 2008 - Joe Thornton vs Steve Montador
Dec 11, 2008 - Jody Shelley vs George Parros
Mar 15, 2009 - Jody Shelley vs George Parros

Lineup

Goaltending: EDGE San Jose
Scoring: EDGE San Jose
Defense: DRAW
Coaching: DRAW
Grit: EDGE Anaheim

Schedule

Thursday, April 16, 10:30 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC)
Sunday, April 19, 10:00 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC)
Tuesday, April 21, 10:30 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC)
Thursday, April 23, 10:30 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC)
*Saturday, April 25, 10:00 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC)
*Monday, April 27, TBD (VERSUS, CBC)
*Wednesday, April 29, TBD (VERSUS, CBC)

Prediction

Blood and pain! These two division rivals meet for the first time in the playoffs and it has all the ingredients for a nasty series. San Jose has all the pieces for a long playoff run and should be able to get it done against Anaheim but they will be hurting after this one.

John's Pick

Is this finally the year that San Jose gets over the hump into the Stanley Cup Finals? Time will tell, but their first-round matchup against the Ducks will be even more telling. This is the first time in a while that the Ducks have looked relatively weak heading into the postseason, and now is the time for the Sharks to capitalize. For a team that has to overcome as much of a mental hurdle as they do the challenge of sifting through a competitive Western Conference playoff field, the Sharks would do well for themselves to grab an easy first round win. I think they'll do just that. Sharks in 5.

David's Pick

Oh, the Ducks. The official second favorite team of hockeyfights.com the last few seasons. Toughness has been part of the team's game, and they've used it to win. The Ducks didn't start the season well, and the Sharks looked invincible for months. The last month of the season saw the Sharks retain the #1 seeding and the Ducks start to play more like a playoff team thanks to young talent like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. What the Ducks don't have is depth like the Sharks' Milan Michalek and Ryane Clowe. The Sharks even toughened up some by bringing in former Duck Travis Moen. The Ducks won't play like an eighth seed team, and if JS Giguere gets hot we'll be watching many long, low-scoring games. Sharks in 6, but it'll feel like 8.