Although the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks both have been regular Stanley Cup playoff participants for the past 15 years Barry Church Jersey , the California rivals somehow met in the postseason only once before this week.
That first-round series in 2009 provided valuable lessons to the veterans remaining in both dressing rooms. The eighth-seeded Ducks eliminated the top-seeded Sharks in six tempestuous games culminating in the Ducksr17; clinching home victory, which began with Ryan Getzlaf and Joe Thornton dropping the gloves on the opening faceoff.
Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin are still around in Anaheim, while Thornton, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Pavelski are still in teal. When they drop the puck on another first-round meeting Thursday night at Honda Center, the veterans from both clubs will keep in mind what theyr17;ve learned from many years of the playoff grind.
r1;We would have liked to probably handle that series a little better,r1; recalled Pavelski, now the Sharksr17; captain. r1;We were great in the regular season. Just never really got it going. This group understands we want to get off to a good start. If you get that first goal under your belt and play with the lead, more often than not it puts that other team under a little bit of pressure.r1;
Much has changed for both teams in the ensuing nine years, but this rivalry hasnr17;t cooled much. Getzlaf and Perry are still seeking their first Stanley Cup since 2007, while the Sharks are still waiting to raise it for the first time.
The 38-year-old Thornton is still in teal Carson Tinker Jersey , but his right knee injury seems likely to keep him out for the first round. Anaheim has its own injury woes headlined by the shoulder problem of top defenseman Cam Fowler, who is expected to miss the series.
Here are more things to watch in the eighth playoff series between California teams in NHL history:
OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS?: The series opens in Orange County because of a tremendous late-season surge by the Ducks, who won their final five games to slide in front of San Jose for second place in the Pacific Division. Anaheim overcame its early-season injury problems and the late-season absence of goalie John Gibson to finish with 101 points to San Joser17;s 100. The Sharks lost five of their final six regular-season games and gave away home-ice advantage on the final day of the regular season. Home ice typically doesnr17;t mean much in the postseason, but the Ducks have lost in regulation at Honda Center just once in 17 games since Jan. 23.
KANEr17;S CHANCE: Evander Kane provided a big spark for San Jose after being acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline with nine goals and five assists in 17 games. Kaner17;s reward for his strong play is his first trip to the playoffs nine seasons into his career. Kane never got a shot at the postseason with Atlanta, Winnipeg or Buffalo, but believes his style of play is conducive to this time of year.
r1;Ir17;ve said it in the past: I think Ir17;m a playoff player,r1; he said. r1;Ir17;ve watched the playoffs and when I look at the style of play and itr17;s something I was jealous because I wasnr17;t involved in it. Now I get that opportunity and I have to back those words up.r1;
SCORING D: Sharks coach Peter DeBoer has put a priority on getting offense from their defense and it paid off this season with San Jose ranking third in the NHL with 199 points from the blue line. The offense didnr17;t just come from last yearr17;s Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns, with a team record five defensemen in all scoring at least 20 points, including a career-high 33 points from Justin Braun and a career-best 11 goals from Vlasic.
r1;I donr17;t know what it is. Her17;s been preaching it for a few years but this year I think we really took hold of it a little bit more,r1; Braun said.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Sharks power-play has been a bit of a roller coaster this season. San Jose converted just 14.5 percent of its chances with the man advantage over the first 18 games before things started to click. The Sharks scored on 28.9 percent of their chances over the next 29 games before falling back into a rut after Thornton injured his knee. The power play slumped late in the year, converting at a rate of 16.5 percent over the last 35 games. The penalty kill was much more consistent Greg Zuerlein Jersey , ranking second in the league at 84.8 percent for the season.
r12;
AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in San Jose contributed to this report.
r12;
Jimmy Garoppolo could have waited and cashed in even more than he did after other quarterbacks re-set the market.
The San Francisco 49ers could have used a franchise tag instead of making a long-term commitment to make sure Garoppolo was worth a hefty investment after only seven NFL starts.
But both sides wanted this resolved quickly, and did so with a contract that will pay Garoppolo a record $27.5 million per season over the next five years.
r1;This is where I want to be, honestly,r1; Garoppolo said at a news conference Friday. r1;I wanted to get this deal done as fast as possible. It will only help our team going forward going into free agency. r30; I wanted to be here. I was excited to be here. Ir17;m happy we got it done as fast as we did.r1;
Garoppolor17;s $137.5 million contract has the richest annual value in NFL history, topping the deal Detroitr17;s Matthew Stafford signed last year by $500,000 a season.
The deal includes nearly $49 million that is full guaranteed, more than $74 million guaranteed for injury and more than $86 million that will be paid out over the first three seasons.
The franchise tag could have been a safer option for both sides, leading to more money for Garoppolo if he kept playing at the high level he showed this past season and more protection for the 49ers if he didnr17;t reach that level.
But neither side was eager to go that direction.
r1;We became convinced we had that as an option, but we didnr17;t want to use it,r1; general manager John Lynch said. r1;We wanted to make Jimmy a 49er for a long, long time. Do you have to have some faith for that? Absolutely. But he earned that faith we had for him. I know it wasnr17;t a super long time but we felt we had a really good grasp on the talent and that was only confirmed when he got here.r1;
San Francisco acquired Garoppolo from New England before the trade deadline for a 2018 second-round pick. As soon as he took the field a few weeks later Yannick Ngakoue Jersey , he immediately turned around a franchise that started the year with a 1-10 record.
Garoppolo took over as starter and led San Francisco to five straight wins to end the season. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes this season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating.
Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season, Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played a full season.
Now he will have a full offseason to completely learn coach Kyle Shanahanr17;s offense, which could lead to even more production.
r1;Now the rush isnr17;t quite the same,r1; Shanahan said. r1;He can start from the beginning and start from the first page and not the 50th page. He can get a better foundation. When you have a better foundation of where your17;re coming from and learning, it gives you a chance to play at a higher level.r1;
Garoppolo has won all seven starts in his career, including two in New England to start the 2016 season when Brady was suspended for his role in r1;Deflategate.r1; Only four other quarterbacks since the 1970 merger won their first seven starts, with Ben Roethlisberger the most recent to do it with 15 wins in a row in the regular season for Pittsburgh in 2004-05. Garoppolor17;s 2,038 yards passing in his first seven starts are the fourth most among all quarterbacks since 1970.
The deal still leaves the 49er with more than $60 million in salary cap room James Bradberry Jersey , according to executive vice president Paraag Marathe, with several more holes to fill. The most glaring needs are upgrading the skill position players and interior of the offensive line, and finding a big-time pass rusher and cornerbacks to help the defense.
Lynch said he plans to be r1;aggressively prudentr1; with that money but believes this deal will help sell the organization to potential free agents, including some who played for San Francisco this past year.
r1;One of the reasons for the urgency, if there was some for us, was heading into free agency this is a big deal,r1; Lynch said. r1;Itr17;s 75 degrees and sunny outside. We have this guy. Who wouldnr17;t want to be here? We want to become a destination where everyone wants to be.r1;
