Gameday Blog: Game 1 at Anaheim

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Here it is. The time of the season that everyone was playing for when the puck first dropped all the way back on October 8. Playoffs.
For the first time since 2009, the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Though the Sharks-Kings rivalry might be more prominent due to the proliferation of playoff series the two teams have played (and the all-too-easy "BEAT LA!" Chant), the Sharks-Ducks rivalry has no less animosity.
The two teams met four times this season, with the Sharks winning the season series with a 3-0-1 record. However, it should be noted that the record is a little closer than that; three of the four games were decided in the shootout (an event that is no longer relevant in the playoffs). The lone game decided in regular was a 6-2 victory by the Sharks.
Both the Sharks and the Ducks are dealing with injuries. The Ducks will likely be without aptly-named defenseman Cam Fowler, while Joe Thornton still remains on the shelf for the Sharks. Earlier this week, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said that all other injured Sharks should be available for Game 1, but we'll learn exactly who makes the lineup later today.
Numbers-wise, the two teams match up pretty closely; neither team has a 70 point scorer, and both teams have fared well on special teams. But, while full season numbers provide a larger sample size, they fail to account for the personnel available to teams in the playoffs - especially as the Sharks and Ducks played their final game against each other back in February.
Read the latest on the San Jose Sharks from the Mercury News.

!Tale of the Tide
It was an option skate for the Sharks this morning, with most but not all players participating. This means that getting a solid handle on what the lines for tonight's Game 1 are going to be is harder than usual. Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed with the media that both Eric Fehr and Marcus Sorensen are in the lineup tonight, while all other players (besides Joe Thornton) are possibilities for the lineup.
As expected, Martin Jones gets the start in goal for the Sharks, as he looks to build on his resume of playoff excellence.