VIDEO: Ducks Down Sharks 5-2

Photo: USA Today

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks started the 2018-19 campaign in San Jose against one of their division rivals. John Gibson went in net against Martin Jones.

First Period

The Ducks struck first as Maxime Comtois would score five-hole on Martin Jones just 49 seconds into the game for his first NHL career goal. The Sharks would answer as Evander Kane would score at the 7:51 mark to tie the game up. The Ducks had one power play and the Sharks had two, but neither converted with the extra man. The score remained 1-1 after the first period.

Second Period

The Sharks came out strong and controlled the play at the beginning of the period. Josh Manson would rough up Marcus Sorensen twice and get called for a penalty on the second incident. The Ducks would kill off the penalty and get their own power play, but Tomas Hertl would score shorthanded to give San Jose a 2-1 lead. Evander Kane would get called for tripping shortly after and Rickard Rakell would score on the power play to tie the game up at two apiece.

Third Period

The Sharks got a couple of good chances early in the period, but Gibson stood tall keeping the game tied at two. The Ducks would then take over scoring the next three goals. First Brandon Montour would throw the puck at the net on a harmless looking play that beat Martin Jones. Anaheim would later go on the power play and Adam Henrique would score to make it 4-2 in favor of the Ducks. The Sharks would pull their goalie and Carter Rowney added an empty net goal to give the Ducks a 5-2 victory.

Analysis:

The Ducks started the game strong with the super early goal by Comtois and ended the first period tied. In the second the Sharks took control of the play and dominated the shots 26-9 after 40 minutes. Anaheim was able to come out of the second period still tied. In the final frame, the Ducks took over and pulled away from the Sharks. John Gibson was a huge factor in the Ducks win as he made 31 saves against 33 shot attempts. The young players looked good in this game, but the Ducks as a whole need to sustain a better forecheck moving forward.

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October 3rd, 2018