Anaheim Ducks Daily Links: Final Episode of Bout with Sharks

Good afternoon, Anaheim Ducks fans! It’s another game-day, as the Ducks travel to San Jose and the SAP Center for the fifth and final meeting with the Sharks this season. The Ducks have gone 1-3-0 against the Sharks this season, as opposed to 10-0-5 against the rest of the Pacific Division. The Ducks’ one win came in overtime on December 22nd, on a goal from Ryan Kesler once a 4-on-3 power-play expired. San Jose won the other three contests by scores of 4-1, 6-4, and 3-0, and each were some of the Ducks’ worst games of the season.

The main key for the Ducks will be to continue their stretch of strong play. They are on a six-game winning streak and have played some of their best hockey in the stretch. The team was prone to lazy play and didn’t always give a full 60-minute effort, but three of their six wins during this streak have been complete games (against the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and Vancouver Canucks). The Ducks won those three games by a combined score of 13-1, winning each by four goals with two shutouts from Frederik Andersen.

The game isn’t even the biggest news with the Ducks however. The Ducks, along with many of the Pacific Division NHL clubs, are making waves by relocating their AHL affiliates to California and forming an AHL Pacific Division, with five clubs in California. This is a big move for the Ducks, whose organization is centered around drafting and developing their own players. Now, the players are much closer, instead of being cross-country in Norfolk. It makes the AHL-NHL transfer much easier, and the organization can monitor player development much more easily with the affiliate so much closer.

That was the biggest piece of news in the NHL, but there was more. Here are some Ducks and NHL news for the day.