Both the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off very disappointing showings in the postseason last year. They entered the playoffs with high expectations that were met with unexpected exits and now both teams are attempting to bounce back and return to postseason contention once again. With several new faces on both rosters and new head coaches, they start their season in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh will likely be forced to start their season without one of their franchise stars. Evgeni Malkin is not 100 percent guaranteed to play right away after suffering an undisclosed injury sometime during the team's preseason games. Malkin was the MVP in 2012 and will play a large part in the team's attempt to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after winning the championship in 2009. He had 23 goals and 49 assists last season, but only played in 60 games. Sidney Crosby will be in the lineup after undergoing offseason wrist surgery He finished the year with a league-leading 104 points and will headline the attack after James Neal was traded to Nashville.
The Penguins ended their 2013-14 season by losing in seven games to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They were leading the series 3-1 before a collapse led to their unexpected exit. Hea coach Dan Bylsma was fired and replaced by Mike Johnston. Marc-Andre Fleury returns to the net after ranking 10th last season with 2.37 goals-against average.
The Ducks are the defending Pacific Division champions and they added some meat to their roster including Ryan Kesley, Nate Thompson and Clayton Stoner to help. Kesler might be the biggest upgrade considering his talent level as a two-way player. He also helps the defensive efforts for Anaheim who said goodbye to a slew of veterans including Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu who both retired.
Anaheim might have an issue at the goalie spot. Jonas Hiller left for free agency leaving Frederik Andersen and John Gibson. They are both very untested considering they were playing behind an All-Star. Andersen had a 2.29 GAA in just 28 games played last year while Gibson had a 1.33 GAA in three games.
