Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins kick off their 2014-15 campaigns with NHL Opening Week action live from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The game can be live streamed here. Anaheim fans can hear all of the action on KLAA 830 while Pittsburgh fans can do the same on 105.9 WXDX.
Anaheim is coming off of a season where it was the best team in the Western Conference with a 54-20-8 record and 117 points while Pittsburgh clinched the Metropolitan Division with a 51-24-7 mark and 109 points.
Both teams fizzled out in the playoffs as the Ducks lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the second round and the Penguins fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers in seven games in Round 2 after blowing a 3-1 series lead.
The main addition this offseason for Anaheim was Ryan Kesler, which will help aid the team in one of its biggest weaknesses a year ago -- the center position. Kesler and Ryan Getzlaf provide a 1-2 punch down the middle for the Ducks this season.
Getzlaf was a Hart Trophy finalist a year ago and he ranked second in the league with 87 points and fifth with 56 assists. Getzlaf's linemate Corey Perry also had a big season in 2013-14 for the Ducks, ranking second in the NHL in assists (43) and fifth in points (82).
Pittsburgh's postseason failures saw general manager Ray Shero and head coach Dan Bylsma get fired and Jim Rutherford and Mark Johnston were brought in as their respective successors. The Penguins will look to take the lessons learned a year ago and turn things around this campaign.
Captain Sidney Crosby won the Hart Trophy last season, putting up a league-leading 106 points and 68 assists while adding 36 goals. Evgeni Malkin was second on the team with 72 points off of 23 tallies and 49 helpers while Chris Kunitz ranked third on the team with 68 points off of 35 goals and 33 assists.
Malkin has dealt with some injuries in the preseason, but he believes he'll be good to go tonight.
"I feel so much better and I think I will play," Malkin told NHL.com.
In net, the Ducks may turn to Pittsburgh native Jon Gibson, who has played in just seven NHL games while the Penguins will counter with Marc-Andre Fleury, who ranked second in the NHL with 39 victories last season.
Pittsburgh swept Anaheim in their two-game season series last year.
The Ducks and Penguins open up their 2014-15 campaigns when the lights come up tonight at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
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