The Ducks are set to begin what they hope will be their first 82-game season in three tries, after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc with the past two. Here’s a glance at five must-watch games:
WEDNESDAY VS. WINNIPEG JETS
The season opener comes against a team they’ll face three times in 14 days to start 2021-22. What kind of a Honda Center turnout will there be for a Ducks team in the midst of an ongoing rebuilding project?
Player to watch: Connor Hellebuyck doesn’t get the attention of many other standout goalies around the league. Probably because he plays in Winnipeg rather than Montreal, New York or Toronto.
NOV. 11 AT SEATTLE KRAKEN
The Ducks’ lone trip this season to play against the NHL’s newest team, which begins play in the reimagined former home of the NBA’s SuperSonics. Will it be known as the Krakhouse? Will fans be known as Krakheads?
Player to watch: The Ducks lost defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Kraken in the expansion draft. Will he be in Seattle’s lineup when the teams meet?
DEC. 27 VS. SAN JOSE SHARKS
Holiday good cheer? Doubtful, judging by the nature of three contentious exhibition games that featured fights in the opening seconds of two of the three. These teams will be scrapping it out all season.
Player to watch: Erik Karlsson hasn’t been the same player with the Sharks as he was with the Ottawa Senators. What will the Sharks do with him and his $11.5 million salary that runs through 2026-27?
JAN. 21 VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
The two-time Stanley Cup champions make their only visit to Honda Center. Former Duck Corey Perry couldn’t beat the Lightning while with Dallas and Montreal, so he joined them as a free agent last summer.
Player to watch: Perry, of course.
APRIL 3 VS. EDMONTON OILERS
Connor McDavid and the Oilers make their only appearance in Anaheim very late in what could be another long Ducks season. The Oilers hope to be division contenders, but where will they stand as the playoffs near?
Player to watch: Really, you have to ask?