Game 1: San Jose Sharks @ Anaheim Ducks 10/3

For the last four months in the aftermath of their playoff performance of last spring, the Ducks had been heavily looking forward to opening night of the 2009-10 campaign.

But what occurred Saturday night at Honda Center was certainly not what they had in mind.

The San Jose Sharks, victimized by the Ducks in a first-round ouster last postseason, got a semblance of revenge in handing Anaheim a 4-1 beating in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 17,281.

That crowd had little to cheer about other than Ryan Whitneys power play goal halfway through the third period that marked the extent of the damage Anaheim was able to hand out on the night. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who struggled in a 5-2 loss that opened San Joses season two nights ago in Colorado was strong in net when he had to be with 24 saves. And the Sharks were just as good on the other end of the ice, getting goals from Benn Ferriero, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi.

"They played a simple, solid game and made us pay for the mistakes we made," said Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer. "Its the first game of the season coming in. Everyone has ideas of how they want it to go. The next thing you know, they get a couple of goals and it changes the plan. We probably didnt respond as well as we could have when that happened. We have to be better."

San Jose got on the board 7:30 after the opening draw as rookie Ferriero scored the first of his young career. Jason Demers bounced a puck on net from the point that kicked off Jonas Hiller in front, and a passing Ferriero sent it back under Hiller.

The Sharks poured it on with two goals in a 1:37 span near the end of the first period. The first came with 3:14 left with the Ducks on the power play, as a Whitney slap shot from the point was blocked by Marleau. The puck ricocheted past Whitney toward the Anaheim net, where Marleau raced past the Ducks defenseman and converted on the breakaway with a backhand that beat Hiller.

It was the third of the year for Marleau, who had his captaincy taken away in the offseason and had San Joses only two goals in that season-opening loss.

San Jose again countered off that same Ducks power play, thanks to blockbuster summer acquisition Dany Heatley, who had just escaped the box following a tripping minor. Heatley ended up with the puck on his blade on the right wing, and he sent a pass in the slot to Thornton, who took the puck and backhanded it home.

It got even worse in a second period in which the Ducks were outshot 17-2 and didnt put their first shot on net until 18 ½ minutes into it. At 4:32 into the period, Heatley again set up a goal, this time a one-timer from Devin Setoguchi on a Sharks power play.

"This wasnt the performance that we were looking for," said Ducks center Saku Koivu in his first game with Anaheim after signing in the summer. "We realize that we didnt play well. San Jose came out hard and capitalized on a couple of our mistakes in the first period. Its more about the way we played. We lost too many one-on-one battles in the corners. We just made their night too easy and way too tough for ourselves."

The Ducks had a better effort in the third, outshooting San Jose 14-8 and getting the power play strike at 10:36. Ryan Getzlaf faked a slap shot from the point and slid it to Whitney, who drilled a one-timer that popped the water bottle.

"I think at the start we maybe werent playing as well as we needed to, but I thought it was going all right," Niedermayer said. "They we made some bad plays and gave the puck basically to them to get chances. They made us pay. It got sloppy after that. We didnt have sustained pressure in their end. In the third, we did a bit better job of that and that is what this team has to do."

Things got ugly 6:27 into the period, as a major brawl broke out behind the Anaheim net after Todd Marchant was shoved into the wall by Dan Boyle. Everyone on the ice got involved in the rumble that ended with six penalties being handed out, including a game misconduct to Douglas Murray for jumping into the fight.

The Sharks also got the better of Anaheim in last years season opener in San Jose, beating the Ducks by that same 4-1 score on their way to the Presidents Trophy for best regular season record. But the Ducks got the last laugh in the first round of the playoffs, upsetting San Jose with a six-game series victory.

Tonight didn't go nearly the same way for the Ducks. "We just werent good enough in the hockey game," said coach Randy Carlyle. "Its as simple as that."

Category:

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• 10/3/09
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[eragonruler]

Sharks all the way this year all the way

[tammyroxs96]

@Thorntonator19 dont watch the video if you a hater.go find your mom booing

[Thorntonator19]

I love the sound of 17,000 Honda Center fans booing.

[AquaGiant]

ducks are fucks! GO SHARKS!

[zcm007attack]

@jimih64 they aint gonna choke if guys like boyle blake and heatley can help it wich they will do. the ducks got to slobber on the cup because they got lucky enough to play a team that usually sucks.

[xJonny2134x]

@megapark2 Agreed. If Hiller last year didn't have Pronger, Niedermayer, etc. AKA a great defensive team behind him it would have been a different story. Lets see if Hiller could do that again with say, the Thrashers defensemen for example.

[SkylineToTheSeaAndMe]

Sharks suck. I wouldn't be surprised if they win the Presidents Cup again, make the playoffs, and then loose in the first round (to Dallas, or Anaheim etc.)

[danmanlol5]

why coudlnt the sharks do this in the playoffs?

[jimih64]

@chelseafcfanisy lol no they'll probably choke again. They always do. They're essentially the same exact team as last year.

[nucklehead2]

ducks suck!