Anaheim Ducks (1-0-1, 3 pts)
As one of the most physical teams in the past five years, Anaheim’s style of play translates well to sustained success. Couple that with a strong core of power forwards in Corey Perry, Ryan Kessler and Ryan Getzlaf (who sat out the first two games with an inury) and you have one of the most potent teams in the West. For the first time in his career, John Gibson is the clear No. 1 netminder and has shown the ability to mesh well with an improving defensive unit. Andrew Cogliano was a bit of a no-show in last year’s postseason, but has chipped in early with a goal and a pair of helpers in the early going to mask Getzlaf’s absence.
The bottom line is that Anaheim will likely be involved in a lot of close games – both of their games this week were decided by one goal. If puck luck evens itself out, and with only a few legitimate threats in the Pacific, Anaheim should find themselves in the playoffs once again with a chance to make a long-awaited return trip to the Stanley Cup finals.