4. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks aren’t our top rival in the state but we have a long history of hatred against them. They boast a 72-54-4-9 all-time record vs. the Ducks and we’ve seen them face the Ducks twice in the playoffs: 2009 and 2018. Over the years they’ve proven to be a very tough divisional foe and it’s honestly incredible that the Ducks have only seen them twice in the playoffs. Back in 2009, we beat the President Trophy winning Sharks in 6 games. Who could forget that epic fight between Ryan Getzlaf and Joe Thornton at the beginning of Game 6?
Last year, in the postseason, they got the better of Anaheim by sweeping them in 4 games. We were coming in off a crazy rush to playoffs that saw us shoot up from wild card to second in the division, only behind the Vegas Golden Knights. We won the home ice advantage over the Sharks in the playoff race but that quickly dissipated after Game 2.
They took a 2-0 series lead and none of us were prepared what happened next at the SAP Center in Game 3. The Sharks would drop 8 goals on the Ducks in what was arguably their worst playoff loss in franchise history. The Sharks would end the series in a 2-1 victory in Game 4. I compare them to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. They believe themselves to be the best in the state yet have no title to back their claim.