WEST -- 1st Rd. - SAN v ANA

Game	Date	Matchup/Result	Breakdown
1	Thursday, April 16, 10:30pm et	Ducks 2, Sharks 0	Recap/Highlights \| Box
2	Sunday, April 19, 10pm et	Ducks 3, Sharks 2	Recap/Highlights \| Box
3	Tuesday, April 21, 10:30pm et	Sharks 4, Ducks 3	Recap/Highlights \| Box
4	Thursday, April 23, 10:30pm et	Sharks 0, Ducks 4	Recap/Highlights \| Box
5	Saturday, April 25, 10pm et	Ducks 2, Sharks 3 (OT)	Recap/Highlights \| Box
6	Monday, April 27, 10:30pm et	Sharks 1, Ducks 4	Recap/Highlights \| Box
Ducks win series 4-2

* If Necessary

SAN JOSE SHARKS

Team Page | Roster | Stats

Regular Season Record: 53-18-11, 117 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 4-2-0
Last Stanley Cup Win: None
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: None
Last Postseason Appearance: 2008
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Dan Boyle (1), Rob Blake (1), Travis Moen (1), Brad Lukowich (1), Kent Huskins (1), Claude Lemieux (4)

A reason to cheer for the Sharks: Considered perennial underachievers in the playoffs, could this be the year that the Sharks finally break through in the post-season? After arriving from the Motor City, Todd McLellan has brought a brand new winning attitude to the Silicon Valley. This is the best opportunity that Joe Thornton will ever get to shake off the label of playoff underachiever.
What They Bring To The Table: The Sharks bring a well-balanced attack as they get offensive contributions from all four lines as well as the defence. The Sharks made a conscious decision this past offseason to bring in proven winners. The blueline was restocked with Dan Boyle, Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich, all of whom have already captured a ring. In addition, the Sharks gave one of the top playoff performers of the past 20 years - Claude Lemieux - a shot to bring some additional veteran leadership to the team. At the trade deadline, the Sharks acquired a pair of players in Kent Huskins and Travis Moen, who were critical to the Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup run just two years ago, and ironically will have the opportunity to try to derail the Ducks this time around. San Jose also has a very nice mix of young players to go along with their vets. Players like Devin Setoguchi, Ryane Clowe, Christian Erhoff and Marc-Edouard Vlasic all enjoyed excellent campaigns and fit it well with the Sharks' team mentality. The team gets solid goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov, who often gets overshadowed in the discussions of the top goalies in the league because of his West Coast area code. Several players will be under the microscope during this series. Can Joe Thornton finally have a post- season worthy of his many regular season accomplishments? Can Patrick Marleau continue his bounce-back season with a big effort in the playoffs? Will Jeremy Roenick finally get a ring? After a series of playoff disappointments, the Sharks have as much to prove as any team in the league. They will be under an immense amount of pressure to show that they are not simply a regular season wonder.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Team Page | Roster | Stats

Regular Season Record: 42-33-7, 91 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 2-4-0
Last Stanley Cup Win: 2007
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 2007
Last Postseason Appearance: 2008
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Ryan Getzlaf (1), Corey Perry (1), Scott Niedermayer (4), Teemu Selanne (1), Chris Pronger (1), Rob Niedermayer (1), Todd Marchant (1), George Parros (1), Drew Miller (1), Ryan Carter (1), Bret Hedican (1), Francois Beauchemin (1), JS Giguere (1)

A reason to cheer for the Ducks: Because Scott Niedermayer's thumb is jealous of all the fingers on his hand that wear Stanley Cup rings. The current edition of the Ducks is not that different to the team that won it all just two years ago. They are big, mean, tough, battle proven and are the type of team that no one wants to face in the first round.
What They Bring To The Table: The Ducks have a great mixture of skill and toughness. Their two top scorers - Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry - are also among the team's leaders in penalty minutes. The Ducks can score with anyone in the league thanks to their potent power play. They have Niedermayer at quarterback, Chris Pronger launching bombs from the point and Perry, Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne and rookie Bobby Ryan to bang pucks home. As one of the most penalized teams in the league, Anaheim will really need to be disciplined in the post-season - where a bad penalty can cost a team a series. Fortunately for the Ducks, they have a both a coach in Randy Carlyle and a goaltender in J.S. Giguere who have won it all before and won't be in awe of their surroundings. While Giguere didn't enjoy his best statistical season, he is a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner that has the ability to steal a game or a series if necessary. Should he falter, Jonas Hiller is among the top backups in the league and will be ready to step in if needed. The Ducks are getting hot at the right time - if they can re-capture some of that magic of two seasons ago, they could really cause their opponents some problems.

Statistical keys to the series

- San Jose ranked third in the league on the power play, with a 24.2% success rate. Anaheim ranked fifth at 23.6%.

- San Jose ranked fifth in the league in penalty killing, with an 83.3% success rate. Anaheim ranked 23rd at 79.7%.

- Douglas Murray (175), Travis Moen (171) and Mike Grier (147) are the Sharks' leading hitters. Moen's totals include games with Anaheim.

- Ryan Getzlaf (134), Corey Perry (109) and James Wisniewski (90) are the Ducks' leading hitters. Wisniewski's totals include games with Chicago.

- Marcel Goc is the Sharks' top face-off man -- 58.2%.

- Erik Christensen is the Ducks' top face-off man -- 55.7%. Christensen's totals include games with Atlanta.

- Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf tied for third in the league with 66 assists. San Jose's Joe Thornton ranked seventh in the league with 61 assists.

- Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf tied for sixth in the league with 91 points.

- Anaheim's Teemu Selanne tied for fifth in the league with 16 power play goals.

- Anaheim's Corey Perry tied for seventh in the league with eight game-winning goals.

- Jonathan Cheechoo and Christian Ehrhoff led the Sharks with four points in five games against the Ducks this year. Dan Boyle also had four points in six games.

- Ryan Getzlaf led the Ducks with six points in six games against the Sharks this year.

- San Jose's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Dan Boyle 4:39
Patrick Marleau 3:59
Joe Thornton 3:43
Ryane Clowe 3:05
Joe Pavelski 3:04
Rob Blake 3:01
Christian Ehrhoff 3:01

- Anaheim's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Ryan Whitney 4:27*
Chris Pronger 4:27
Scott Niedermayer 4:00
Ryan Getzlaf 3:58
Teemu Selanne 3:36
Corey Perry 3:26
* Whitney's totals include time with Pittsburgh.

- San Jose's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Marc-Edouard Vlasic 2:39
Patrick Marleau 2:33
Rob Blake 2:30
Mike Grier 2:29
Travis Moen 2:21*
Joe Pavelski 2:13
* Moen's totals include games with Anaheim.

- Anaheim's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Scott Niedermayer 4:36
Chris Pronger 3:55
Todd Marchant 3:47
Rob Niedermayer 3:09
James Wisniewski 2:16 *
Ryan Whitney 1:42 *
* Wisniewski's totals include time with Chicago; Whitney's totals include time with Pittsburgh.

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