Photo credit: @PR_NHL

By Matthew Harrington

Evander Kane waited 574 games before he would make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, but he felt he would rise to the occasion, saying he believes he is a playoff player but never got a chance. He backed up his point emphatically Thursday night in his postseason debut, scoring twice to help the San Jose Sharks take game 1 over the Anaheim Ducks 3-0.

Martin Jones picked up a 25 save shutout in net for the Sharks and Brent Burns added a goal for San Jose. Captain Joe Pavelski picked up two assists for Team Teal. Appearing in his first game since April 1st, John Gibson made 31 saves in net for the Ducks, but Anaheim finds themselves down 3-0 heading into game two Saturday at the Honda Center.

Despite a 2-1 power play advantage in the first period, the Ducks were outshot 8-4 in the first period. Neither team lit the lamp after 20 minutes though. Instead, it took a 5-3 power play to start the scoring.

Andrew Cogliano slashed Tomas Hertl 6:41 into the period, then Ryan Getzlaf joined him for another stick infraction 16 seconds later. The Sharks scored instantly, with two Ducks skaters getting pulled below the goal line 10 seconds into the 5-on-3. This allowed Kane to sneak into the slot, receiving Pavelski’s slot pass and ripping it glove-side for a 1-0 lead 7:07 into the period.

Kane scored on a classic power forward move, driving the net then finishing on a falling backhand around Gibson for a 2-0 lead with 6:09 left in the period. Burns ripped a point shot through traffic with 4:45 left in the period to beat Gibson for a 3-0 edge.

The Sharks and Jones withstood a 12-9 shot disparity and a pair of Ducks’ power plays to help pick up fifth career playoff shutout. Tempers flared at the end of regulation though, and San Jose’s Brendan Dillon and Anaheim’s Corey Perry were assessed two minute minors after the siren blared. In total the Ducks went to the box 7 times, with San Jose scoring on 1-of-6 power plays.

The Sharks’ power play could get a boost for Game 2, or maybe they couldn’t. Coach Peter DeBoer won’t disclose center Joe Thornton’s status for Game 2, only saying he was out for the series opener. Despite saying that at morning skate, #19 did take the ice for warm ups. Though, he sat out line rushes and his status remains unknown.

Up Next: The Sharks and Ducks meet again for Game 2 this Saturday at 7:30 pm PT.