San Jose just completed their most impressive season in franchise history, but the test is just beginning for the Sharks, as they have made unacceptably early exits in the last few postseasons. Unfortunately for them, their first round matchup against the Anaheim Ducks will not be a cakewalk by any means. San Jose won the season series 4-2, but the Ducks still have many of the players that helped them win the Cup in 2007. There are a few intangibles that could play into this series, but let’s start with the basics.
Offense: San Jose finished tied for 7th in overall offense, scoring 251 goals. While Anaheim finished tied for 14th, they scored only 13 less goals, finishing the season with 238, an average of 2.9 goals a game. Anaheim doesn’t boast the offensive names like Thornton, Marleau and Cheechoo, but they certainly have the ability to put the puck in the net. However, team scoring leader Ryan Getzlaf has matured immensely since helping the Ducks win the Cup in ’07, while Bobby Ryan is coming off a stellar 31 goal rookie season. The Ducks may not be known for their offense but they can put the puck in the net. The edge, however slim, still goes to the Sharks, as they ice a lineup with 7 different 50+ point scorers, including defenseman Dan Boyle. 
Advantage: San Jose
Defense: By popular opinion, this would be the Ducks’ strongest point, with big name players like Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer providing veteran leadership and talent to a defensive corps that has seen little negative change over the past two seasons. The addition of Ryan Whitney from Pittsburgh is a huge pickup for Anaheim, yet they finished the season having given up only 3 less goals than they scored. San Jose, on the other hand, finished the year with the 3rd best defense in the league, allowing only 199 goals all season. Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich have been stellar, and all of the Sharks regular defensemen, with the exception of Christian Ehrhoff, have positive +/- ratings.
Advantage: San Jose
Goaltending: This one is a no-brainer, you would think. Veteran keeper Evgeni Nabokov has put up sensational numbers all season long, finishing with 41 wins, a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage. In Anaheim, JS Giguere lost his starting job midway through the season to the upstart Jonas Hiller, who posted a 2.39 GAA, while winning 23 of 46 games played. What will be interesting to see is how the Ducks decide to play this one. Hiller has struggled near the end of the season, but performed well enough to ensure the Ducks a playoff spot. He was pulled in his last start, however, and with goaltending being one of the key elements of a successful playoff team, one would have to think he will be on a short leash, especially with Giguere and his Stanley Cup ring waiting anxiously on the bench.
Advantage: San Jose
Special Teams: San Jose’s already lethal offense gets even better when on the powerplay, and the Sharks scored 87 goals with the extra man this season. Only Washington and Boston had better powerplay percentages. Anaheim scored only 73 powerplay goals, but still managed to place 5th among NHL teams in powerplay percentages, as they converted on 23.6% of their chances. However, the difference between these two teams is their penalty kill. San Jose ranks 5th in the NHL in that department, killing off 83% of their penalties, and scoring 12 shorthanded goals. Anaheim’s PK ranked 23rd in the league, behind such dismal competition as Colorado and the New York Islanders. With San Jose’s snipers on the prowl, the Ducks need to stay out of the box.
Advantage: San Jose
The edge seems to be overwhelmingly in favor of the Sharks, but this series will come down to much more than simple stats on paper. The Ducks are still one of the top tier teams in the NHL, and most of their stars from their 2007 Cup run are on board still. The Sharks lost only 5 games at home in regulation this year, but Anaheim is also one of the NHL’s best road teams. San Jose still needs to prove that they can win in the postseason, and winning this series will be the first step in that direction. Sharks in 6.
