NHL Friday Hockey Preview – Sharks, Ducks Launch Weekend
Two teams at opposite ends of the Pacific Division standings will meet on Friday night when the Anaheim Ducks play host to the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have paid off nicely for those doing NHL betting over the early part of the season; the Ducks have not.
San Jose began their campaign with a 4-0 win over Anaheim back on October 9, and since then they’ve rattled off three more wins over the Kings (twice) and the Blue Jackets. The Sharks’ defense and goaltending has been up to the task so far this season, as they’ve given up just four goals in four contests (Evgeni Nabokov has a GAA of 1.33). As well, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo have combined for five goals.
Down the road in Anaheim the results haven’t been so rosy. The Ducks followed up their loss to the Sharks in their opener by falling to the Coyotes, Kings, and Oilers. Anaheim has had trouble keeping the puck out of their net, as they’ve allowed 17 goals in four games, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere sports a GAA of 4.38. Offense has been a problem as well – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Teemu Selanne have one total goal.
Puck drop for Friday night’s game between these rivals is set for 10:00pm ET. San Jose then returns to the ice on Saturday night for a home game against the Flyers. Anaheim sits Saturday out but they’re back in action on Sunday at home against the Hurricanes.
Friday night’s NHL schedule features six other contests: Phoenix at Ottawa, Nashville at Columbus, Vancouver at Buffalo, Edmonton at Calgary, Carolina at Los Angeles, and Toronto at the Rangers. The Rangers are coming off their first loss of the season, a 3-1 defeat against the Sabres on Wednesday night; New York had previously been at 5-0-0.
Saturday’s NHL slate is much busier, with 13 games on tap: The Montreal Canadiens, who have started the season 3-0-1, will try to improve on that mark when they host the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday (puck drop is 7:00pm ET). The Habs won their home opener against the Bruins on Wednesday night, but they squandered a lead and had to pick up the victory in a shootout. Boston will be on the ice in Ottawa on Saturday night.
The rest of the Saturday slate: Colorado at Dallas, the Rangers at Detroit, the Islanders at Florida, New Jersey at Washington, Buffalo at Atlanta, Toronto at Pittsburgh, Minnesota at Tampa Bay, Columbus at Nashville, Chicago at St. Louis, and Calgary at Edmonton. The Flames/Oilers matchup will conclude the weekend’s home-and-home.
The Canes/Ducks contest on Sunday is one of only two games on that day’s schedule – Vancouver also plays in Chicago. The Blackhawks picked up their first win of the year on Wednesday against the Coyotes, but that wasn’t good enough for management – they fired coach Denis Savard on Thursday and replaced him with Joel Quenneville.
