Anaheim Ducks: 64 Days Until Home Opener— Best Moments of Kiefer Sherwood
Only 64 days remain until the Anaheim Ducks home opener. As the countdown continues, we’re taking a look at some of the best 2018-19 moments of Kiefer Sherwood.
The 2019-20 season is sneaking up, slowly but surely. At this point, we have no idea what to expect from the Anaheim Ducks. Will they be better under the guidance of Dallas Eakins? It’s very likely. However, with some of the bold moves other teams have made, it’s possible they drop lower in the standings. Next season may seem overwhelming and filled with uncertainty, but to get us excited for what is to come, we’re looking at the best moments of our favorite players on the Ducks roster.
Sixty-four days stand between the Anaheim Ducks and the home opener against the Arizona Coyotes, and that means that today is all about Kiefer Sherwood. Prior to last season, we didn’t really have a clue what he could bring to the organization. He was an undrafted college player out of Miami State in Ohio, and no one thought he would be anything more than an AHL signing.
Nevertheless, from day one of training camp, he was one of the rookies that stood out above the rest. As the Ducks got further into camp and well into the pre-season, Sherwood quickly became a candidate to earn a roster spot on opening day. The consensus agreed, and he took the ice with the Ducks on opening day against the San Jose Sharks.
After it was made clear that the rookies needed a little more time in San Diego to develop and grow, most of them were sent down to the AHL. Despite having less experience than his teammates and being an undrafted signing, Sherwood remained with the Anaheim Ducks for a longer period of time. He ended up playing more games than any of his fellow rookies, finishing the season with 50 NHL games under his belt.
October 3, 2018— Registering His First NHL Point
Opening night for the Anaheim Ducks was a pretty big deal. They were facing the San Jose Sharks, who had swept them in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the season before. This was their chance at a little bit of redemption, showing the fans and the other teams all of the hard work they had put in over the summer.
Everyone was hoping the rookies would stand out, making their case for a full-time spot stronger. Sam Steel, Troy Terry, and Maxime Comtois were the three players the fans were looking forward to watching the most. Comtois didn’t hesitate to earn his moment in the spotlight when he scored his first NHL goal just 48 seconds into the opening period.
Aside from Comtois, the other rookies didn’t stand out too much. However, the surprise of the night was Kiefer Sherwood. Yes, he had impressed during camp and pre-season, but it was still unknown how he would really perform at the NHL level.
As the game wound down to a close, the Anaheim Ducks were up 4-2. The game had relied heavily on goaltending most of the evening. John Gibson stood on his head for the Ducks and Martin Jones let his weakness’ show and had a rather rough night.
To try and even things up, San Jose pulled Jones out of the net and opted for an extra skater. Kiefer Sherwood got the puck on his stick, speeding down the neutral zone towards the net. However, trailing right behind him was none other than Erik Karlsson, one of the most coveted defensemen in the NHL.
Karlsson attempted to pin Sherwood and the puck against the boards, in an attempt to get the puck back to his teammates up the ice. Sherwood held his ground, however, standing strong. He managed to get the puck to Ben Street, who deflected the puck off of Brent Burns. Carter Rowney used his quick thinking, swooping in and grabbing the puck before the Sharks had a chance to capitalize on an opportunity.
With no coverage in the net, he sent it home, giving the Ducks a 5-2 lead just seconds before the final buzzer was sent to go off. Although it was an empty netter, Sherwood’s tenacity in the final seconds of the game gave his team the upper hand against their opponents. This would set the pace for his performance throughout the rest of the season.
October 13, 2018— Scoring His First NHL Goal
Every player remembers how surreal it feels to score their first NHL goal. Although Kiefer Sherwood’s first goal was during a game the team would like to forget, this is a moment he will remember for the rest of his career.
The Dallas Stars had been controlling the game for a majority of the first period. However, despite their evident struggles, the Anaheim Ducks managed to strike first with a goal from Jakob Silfverberg. John Gibson’s amazing performance kept them in the game, that is, until the second period.
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About halfway through the first period, Isac Lundestrom got the puck on his stick and skated it up the ice. Josh Manson was in a great position on the blue line, and as he skated past, Lundestrom sent a beautiful pass to his teammate. What made Manson’s position so perfect was the fact that the Stars were unable to get in a shooting lane to block his shot.
Sherwood worked his way in front of the net, and as Manson sent a wrist shot his way, he managed to get his stick on the puck and tap it in past Antoin Khudobin. Sherwood celebrated in typical Sherwood fashion, with a big smile on his face. He would go on to score 5 more goals before the season ended, but this is a puck and a memory he will want to hold onto for a while.
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