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Ducks, Penguins bring high expectations into opener

Oct 9, 2014 - 2:57 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of teams which fell short of lofty playoff expectations last season will begin their 2014-15 season against each other, as the Anaheim Ducks visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for Thursday's clash at Consol Energy Center.

The Ducks and Penguins were both ranked in the top-10 of NHL teams after the regular season, but both teams collapsed in the second round of the postseason.

Anaheim finished second in the league with 116 points but was bounced out of the Western Conference semifinals by Los Angeles, with the eventual Stanley Cup champions winning the final two games to take the series in seven. The Ducks haven't made it out of the second round of the playoffs since winning their only Stanley Cup title back in 2007.

Bruce Boudreau's Ducks posted a franchise-record in wins (54) last season, and are the two-time defending champions of the Pacific Division. They could be better than that in 2014-15 but it wouldn't mean much if Anaheim doesn't get deeper into the playoffs.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray's biggest move this offseason came when he traded for forward Ryan Kesler. The former Vancouver star recorded 25 goals with the Canucks last season and hopes to take some scoring pressure off top- line forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.

Anaheim also enters this season with a new goaltending tandem in Frederik Andersen and John Gibson after long-time starter Jonas Hiller left to sign with Calgary over the summer. Viktor Fasth, who started last season's opening game for the Ducks, was dealt in the offseason to Edmonton.

At just 20 years old, Gibson earned enough confidence with his late-season surge (3-0-0, 1.33 GAA, one shutout) to gain Anaheim's starting spot in the playoffs, but he will compete with Andersen for the No. 1 job this season. Andersen (20-5-0, 2.29 GAA in 28 games), a 25-year-old native of Denmark, is coming off an impressive rookie campaign and could have the inside track on the starting job.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, hopes to bounce back after seeing another season end prematurely in the playoffs.

The Penguins beat Columbus in six games during last spring's opening round and held a 3-1 edge against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing the final three contests.

Pittsburgh has won two straight division titles and finished sixth in the league with 109 points during the 2013-14 regular season. However, the 2009 Stanley Cup champions have only made it past the second round once since winning their last title and that was in 2013 when Boston swept the Pens in four games to win the East.

Last year's playoff collapse led to both head coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero losing their jobs. Shero's replacement Jim Rutherford named first-time NHL head coach Mike Johnston to try and get the team over the top in 2014-15.

Centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who were first and second in the NHL last season in points per game, are still the main attractions for the Penguins. Crosby is coming off his second Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL MVP last season, but Pittsburgh's captain has plenty to prove after scoring just one goal in 13 playoff games.

Malkin sat out training camp due to an undisclosed injury, but he expects to play in Thursday's season opener.

In addition to Crosby and Malkin, 35-goal scorer Chris Kunitz is back but is questionable for tonight due to an illness. However, the team's fourth- leading scorer last season, James Neal, was traded to Nashville for forwards Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.

Lightning rod Marc-Andre Fleury enters his 11th season with the Penguins and will likely get the call in net tonight.

Pittsburgh won both of its games against the Ducks last season and have come out on top in six of the past eight meetings between the clubs. Anaheim has lost five of its last six tilts in the Steel City.

The Penguins follow up tonight's home opener with Saturday's road test against Toronto. The Ducks, meanwhile, are beginning the season on a four-game road trip, which continues Saturday in Detroit.