ANAHEIM, Calif. — Captain Ryan Getzlaf scored, Ondrej Kase had two assists and the Anaheim Ducks remained unbeaten with a 3-1 victory over the winless San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.
Adam Henrique and Michael Del Zotto also scored and John Gibson made 35 saves for the Ducks, who have won back-to-back home games over Pacific Division opponents Arizona and San Jose in an auspicious start under new coach Dallas Eakins.
Logan Couture scored for the Sharks, who have lost three straight in four days.
Aaron Dell stopped 30 shots, but San Jose has been outscored 12-3 during its rough start against Pacific rivals Vegas and Anaheim. Forward Marcus Sörensen also left the game in the second period with an apparent injury.
The Sharks have made the playoffs in an astonishing 18 of the past 20 seasons, but they’ve showed potential flaws on defence and in net during the first three games of the new year.
Anaheim missed the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2012, prompting big changes for the longtime contenders. The Ducks are sending out the youngest roster in franchise history, but veterans and holdovers made the biggest plays against San Jose.
Del Zotto put Anaheim ahead 3:38 in with his first goal for the Ducks, who acquired him last season and then reacquired him in the summer after trading him to the Blues for their Stanley Cup title run. His goal was created by Kase, who stole a pass by Dell behind the net and adeptly fed Del Zotto, a healthy scratch in Anaheim’s opener, for a shot into an open goal.
Couture evened it early in the second period when he was left unchecked for a shot through traffic into the back top corner of Gibson’s net.
Just 67 seconds later, Getzlaf skated onto a sweet pass from Kase and made a slick move to beat Dell for his 262nd career goal — and his first since Corey Perry’s summer contract buyout ended their 14-year partnership in Anaheim.
Henrique then scored late in the second after taking the puck from Tomas Hertl at mid-ice and skating unimpeded to the crease to roof a backhand.
Gibson was strong in a scoreless third period.
Notes
Before the game, the Ducks called up 19-year-old forward Isac Lundestrom and the Sharks recalled defenceman Trevor Carrick. Both made their season debuts. Carrick played in his first game with the Sharks, who acquired the former AHL All-Star from Carolina in a trade in August. … San Jose D Jacob Middleton went on injured reserve. … Ducks F Nick Ritchie was a healthy scratch.
Up Next
Sharks: At Nashville on Tuesday for the second of three straight road games.
Ducks: At Detroit on Tuesday for their road opener and the start of a four-game East Coast trip.
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Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
