Kane scores his first playoff goals; Sharks win

ANAHEIM — The Anaheim Ducks hung their heads in dejection as boos greeted the players skating off to end the second period. It was an ugly one. Sloppy passing and a stupefying lack of discipline led to a roughshod second period the Ducks never recovered from.

San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane scored twice, and reigning Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns added a third goal, all in the span of eight minutes in the second, to defeat the Ducks, 3-0, in Game 1 of their first-round series Thursday at Honda Center.

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle stressed the need for the Ducks to “hold serve” and win their games on home ice, but now,

that strategy is finished, and the Ducks are left searching for answers after a listless performance to kick-start the postseason.

“I’ve never heard of a team winning the Stanley Cup sitting in the penalty box,” defenseman Hampus Lindholm said.

The slam of the penalty box door shutting echoed throughout Honda Center over and over as a parade of Ducks players entered and exited to the tune of seven minor penalties (the Sharks committed just three).

Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Getzlaf were sent off within 15 seconds of one another, both for slashing infractions. Ten seconds after Getzlaf joined Cogliano in the box, Kane fired a puck past John Gibson from the slot after a Joe Pavelski feed.

Less than seven minutes later, it was Kane again. The Sharks caught the Ducks on a change, and the trade-deadline pickup finished off a twoon-one dish from Pavelski.

Kane slithered around Gibson and then pushed the puck over the goal line with a desperate dive.

It didn’t appear the second period could go any worse. The Ducks failed to generate much offense, and really, failed to even test Sharks goalie Martin Jones.

But 1:24 after Kane registered his second, reigning Norris Trophy winner Burns’ wrist shot through traffic found the back of the net.

Lindholm believes the Ducks “overall did a nice job” defending the Sharks’ top-line duo, but the task ahead could grow far more difficult soon.

ROBERT GAUTHIER/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE San Jose Sharks teammates congratulate forward Evander Kane after he scored a goal against the Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim, on Thursday.