Anaheim Ducks Dominate From Outset, Crush Blue Jackets 4-1

Oct 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center William Karlsson (38) celebrates the winning winning goal during a shootout with defenseman Hampus Lindholm (47) and left wing Matt Beleskey (39) against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The Ducks won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Up next for the Ducks is the final game of their five game homestand and their first Pacific Division matchup of the season, when the San Jose Sharks visit Honda Center on Sunday. The Ducks will be getting San Jose on the second leg of a back-to-back, their third opponent in four games who will have played a game the evening before their tilt with the Ducks (St. Louis had played Arizona, Columbus had played San Jose, and San Jose will have played Buffalo the night before at home). San Jose will also start a three game road trip in Anaheim. The Sharks are coming off that 5-4 loss in regulation to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, as Mark Letestu scored the game-winner with 20.7 seconds left in the 3rd period.

San Jose is a very talented squad, despite losing players such as Dan Boyle and Martin Havlat this offseason. They are currently 4-3-1, led by the strong play of their usual candidates. Patrick Marleau leads the Sharks with ten points and is tied for the team lead with four goals. Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture each have eight points as well. Despite many only choosing to remember the team blowing a three games to none lead to the Los Angeles Kings in last year’s playoffs, the Sharks return the majority of the same core that helped the team win those first three games by a combined score of 17-8. This team has loads of offensive skill and a blue-line, led by the perennially underrated Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Ducks will need to play a strong game to cap off a perfect homestand before they embark on their own four game road trip.

Point Streaks, General Notes:

Getzlaf had his third consecutive multi-point game (one goal, one assist). With two points on the night for Getzlaf and Perry, the duo now lead the NHL in points (12 apiece). Perry has the league lead in goals with nine, while Getzlaf has the league lead in assists with nine. Both Getzlaf and Perry have points in eight of their nine games this season.

Smith-Pelly, with his goal, has points in two consecutive games and in four of the past five. He also logged six more hits, bringing his season total up to 27, which leads the team.

By winning 41 of 67 draws against Columbus, the Ducks are first in the league in faceoff win percentage at 56.2%. That’s up from 49.2% last season, which was 20th in the league. Every Ducks player who took a faceoff against the Blue Jackets finished with a faceoff win percentage of at least 50%. Kesler led the team with 12 wins on 24 draws, while Getzlaf and Thompson each won 10 draws (Getzlaf took 13, Thompson took 15). The strength in the faceoff circle was evident: only Johansen and Letestu won at least half of their draws for Columbus. Kesler is third in the league in faceoff wins and fourth in the league in total faceoffs taken.

Again, Cam Fowler led the Ducks in total ice time (23:15). Part of this comes from being put on the top power-play unit in the absence of Maroon. Fowler played 4:45 on the power-play, which led the team. Lindholm still leads the Ducks with 21:41 of ice time and 25.6 shifts per game.