Playoff Preview: Anaheim vs San Jose

The 82-game regular season is officially in the books. 16 teams will begin their journey with the hopes of hoisting the Stanley Cup when it is all said and done. The FPC NHL staff will preview each and every series all the way through the Stanley Cup Finals. On the docket: The Anaheim Ducks vs. the San Jose Sharks.

In this series, we will see a battle of two Pacific Division teams. Both the Ducks and Sharks have enjoyed success in the state of California. A state of which that has proven to be somewhat of a hockey hotbed since 2010. Thanks in large part the constant success of the teams in that state.

The Sharks and Ducks do not like each other that much we know. With that said, it should make for some fun games to watch. This might be the most physical series of the playoffs just because of the rivalry that is attached. If it isn’t it won’t be far off.

Record Recap

Anaheim went 44-25-13 which totaled 101 points earning second in the Pacific division. While San Jose went 45-27-10 for 100 points which were good for third in the Pacific division.

Season Series

The Sharks took the season series 3-0-1. With that said the Ducks ended up 1-1-2 in those games as three of the four games went into overtime.

Query Results Table
								Team	Team	Team	Oppo	Oppo	Oppo
Rk	Date	Tm		Opp				G	S	PIM	GA	SA	OppPIM
1	2018-02-11	ANA		SJS	2-3	L	SO	2	27	7	3	39	9
2	2018-01-21	ANA		SJS	2-6	L		2	35	10	6	26	4
3	2017-11-20	ANA	@	SJS	3-2	W	SO	3	30	6	2	42	4
4	2017-11-04	ANA	@	SJS	1-2	L	SO	1	26	6	2	45	2

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Key Players/Matchups

Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) celebrates his goal in the third period with teammates center Ryan Getzlaf (15), center Ryan Kesler (17) and left wing Matt Beleskey (39) while Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) skates away during an NHL hockey game in Boston, Thursday, March 26, 2015. Perry’s goal with less than a minute to go in the third period tied the game and forced overtime. The Ducks won 3-2 in overtime. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Getzlaf and Perry versus the Sharks Defense

I think this will be the biggest matchup of the series. That’s if San Jose can contain the dynamic duo of Getzlaf and Perry. Because the success of those two will be a huge factor into whether or not the Ducks get past the Sharks and further through the playoffs.

Miller vs Jones: A battle in Net

The goaltending is going to be a big key as well. I am not sold on either one of these teams ability to make a deep run based on the current set of goalies. I would like Anaheim’s chances more if John Gibson was in net. But he is out with an injury through at least the first round. Which means that the Ducks are stuck with Miller, and that would scare me as a Ducks fan; because he is not as good of a goalie as he once was.

Sharks Offense versus Ducks Defense

Much like the Ducks with Getzlaf and Perry, the Sharks have their own superstar players on offense. Such players include Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, and Evander Kane. This will be a tall order for the Ducks defense. And it should be fun to see which side wins out in this case, usually, it is the defense in most other sports. But when it comes to hockey, that is not always the case.

Prediction

So with all of that being said, my prediction is Ducks in seven. They have more experience and a deeper roster. To be fair to San Jose however, I feel has the better talent at the top end so that should very well suit them. And I just think the Ducks’ depth is deeper and it will be a factor.

The series should be a good tight checking one with plenty of goals, a fight or two and plenty of hard body checks. This series should be very close. I chose the Ducks in seven but it very well could be the Sharks in six or seven. That is how close I see these two teams. It will undoubtedly be one of the best first-round series.