Ducks and Sharks Gear Up for Pacific Division Clash
San Jose, CA – The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are set to face off tonight at the SAP Center in a Pacific Division showdown. Both teams are hungry for their first win of the young 2025-26 season, adding extra intensity to this early-season matchup.
The Ducks are coming off a 3-1 defeat against the Seattle Kraken in their season opener. Despite the loss, the team showcased promising signs under new head coach Joel Quenneville. Rookie Beckett Sennecke, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, made an immediate impact by scoring in his NHL debut. Anaheim displayed good structure and energy, creating multiple scoring chances and controlling stretches of play.
However, the Ducks will need to overcome some key injuries. Forward Ryan Strome is set to miss the first two games of the season with an upper-body injury, and Jansen Harkins is also sidelined. Petr Mrazek is slated to make his debut in goal for the Ducks.
Here’s the projected lineup for the Anaheim Ducks:
- Forwards: Chris Kreider — Leo Carlsson — Troy Terry; Cutter Gauthier — Mason McTavish — Beckett Sennecke; Frank Vatrano — Mikael Granlund — Alex Killorn; Ross Johnston — Ryan Poehling — Nikita Nesterenko
- Defense: Jackson LaCombe — Radko Gudas; Olen Zellweger — Jacob Trouba; Pavel Mintyukov — Drew Helleson
- Goaltenders: Petr Mrazek, Lukas Dostal
The San Jose Sharks are also looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks played with pace and showed promise under new coach Ryan Warsofsky, but ultimately fell short. San Jose will also see Sam Dickinson make his NHL debut.
Here’s the projected lineup for the San Jose Sharks:
- Forwards: Philipp Kurashev — Macklin Celebrini — Will Smith; William Eklund — Alexander Wennberg — Tyler Toffoli; Jeff Skinner — Ty Dellandrea — Collin Graf; Barclay Goodrow — Adam Gaudette — Ryan Reaves
- Defense: Nick Leddy — John Klingberg; Mario Ferraro — Timothy Liljegren; Sam Dickinson — Dmitry Orlov
- Goaltenders: Yaroslav Askarov, Alex Nedeljkovic
One player to watch for the Sharks is Macklin Celebrini, who centers San Jose’s top forward line and top powerplay unit. He logged significant ice time in his season debut and will look to make an impact against the Ducks. Another player to watch is William Eklund, who had two assists in three games against Anaheim last season.
The Sharks will be without Jack Thompson and Egor Afanasyev due to lower-body injuries. Vincent Desharnais, Michael Misa, and Shakri Mukhamadullin are expected to be scratched. Yaroslav Askarov is set to make his season debut in goal.
Both teams are in the early stages of rebuilding and are eager to establish momentum. This matchup promises to be an even, high-paced affair as both the Ducks and Sharks aim for their first victory of the season.
