The Ducks have a chance to end 2013 with a bang. Tonight they host the San Jose Sharks, the same team that snapped their 10-game winning streak just two days ago. It's also the same team that has won four straight overall and four straight against the Ducks..... and for lack of a better term, have been nothing short of a thorn in Anaheim's tail feathers.
Anaheim enters the game with a 28-8-5 record and 61 points. They lead the Sharks by five points for the Pacific Division lead, but San Jose has two games in hand.
Tonight's game is a crucial one for several reasons.
1. A win on the last day of 2013 and Anaheim completes the calender year with a very impressive 59-20-11 record. That is almost 40 games over the NHL .500 mark!
2. A loss tonight and the Sharks trail the Ducks by three points with two games STILL in hand. Those two games quickly become San Jose's trump card as they attempt to wrestle the Pacific Division away from L.A. and Anaheim.
3. After completing the back end of a home-and-home tonight, these two clubs won't play again until they meet twice in the final three weeks of the season.
4. How meaningful will those two games be in the context of the season? This New Year's Eve showdown could go a long way towards dictating that fate.
5. The Kings have lost three in a row, the Ducks one and San Jose has won four in a row. In past years it has been San Jose that has fallen off when the calender flips on the new year. Will this finally be the season the Sharks carpe diem and turn the table on their So Cal rivals?
My prediction: The Ducks 10-game streak in over....so what? Anaheim is 9-1 in the last 10 games and they are at home where they have not lost in regulation thus far (14-0-2). They start a new win streak tonight. Ducks win and can head straight home to watch Ryan Seacrest countdown the New Year with One Direction and Katie Perry from the comfort of their own couch.
Cheers and Happy New Year! May this upcoming season be better than the last!
Thank for reading!
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