Sharks  2    Avalanche  5

San Jose Sharks (0-0-0) at Colorado Avalanche (0-0-0), 10 p.m.

Sports Network | October 1, 2009

(Sports Network) - The San Jose Sharks will begin defense of the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy when they visit the rebuilding Colorado Avalanche tonight at the Pepsi Center.

Tonight is also the night that the Avalanche will honor longtime captain Joe Sakic by retiring his No. 19 sweater in a pregame ceremony. Sakic, a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame, announced his retirement back in July after spending all 20 of his NHL seasons with the Colorado/Quebec franchise. He led the Avs to a pair of Stanley Cup titles and also won the Hart Trophy in 2000-01.

The Sharks finished the 2008-09 regular season with the best record in the NHL only to suffer yet another early-playoff exit. After losing in the second round in the first three seasons following the lockout, San Jose was bounced out in the opening round last year by eighth-seeded Anaheim.

This year, however, San Jose hopes the addition of elite sniper Dany Heatley will be the move that ends the club's run of frustrating postseasons. Heatley averaged 45 goals a year while playing in Ottawa over the last four seasons and had a "down" year in 2008-09 with 39 goals and 72 points with the Senators.

The Sharks did lose some production in the trade for Heatley, as they dealt forwards Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek to Ottawa in order to land the 28-year-old winger. Cheechoo will likely never regain the form that allowed him to score 56 goals for the Sharks in 2005-06, but he may benefit from a change of scenery. Michalek, on the other hand, is entering the prime of his career after averaging 24 goals and 59 points per season over the last three years.

San Jose will also have a new captain this year, as Patrick Marleau was stripped of the "C" following the team's latest playoff meltdown. Marleau will still be called on to provide scoring and stability at the center position, but veteran defenseman Rob Blake will now serve as team captain.

The Avalanche, meanwhile, are coming off their worst season since the franchise moved from Quebec to Denver following the 1995-95 campaign. Colorado finished last in the Northwest Division and its 69 points was the club's lowest total in a full season since the Nordiques had 52 in 1991-92.

With Sakic gone, the face of the Avalanche franchise is now Paul Stastny, who will try to stay healthy this year after battling injuries in each of the last two seasons. Stastny played in just 45 games last year and notched 11 goals and 25 assists. The 23-year-old has recorded 185 points (63 goals, 122 assists) in 193 career games.

Stastny will not, however, inherit the "C" from Sakic. That honor will go instead to veteran defenseman Adam Foote, a member of both Avs' championship clubs.

The Avs continued their quest for an heir to replace the legendary Patrick Roy in goal this summer and led the club to sign Craig Anderson to a two-year, $3.6 million deal this summer. Anderson spent last season in Florida as part of a successful goaltending tandem with Tomas Vokoun. The 28-year-old saw action in a career-high 31 games and went 15-7-5 with a 2.71 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

Anderson is expected to start tonight, while Peter Budaj, who was last year's starter on opening night, will serve as the backup.

The Sharks, meanwhile, will turn to Evgeni Nabokov in goal tonight. Nabokov had another strong season in 2008-09, going 41-12-8 with a 2.44 GAA and .910 save percentage over 62 games.

San Jose won all four meetings against Colorado last year, outscoring the Avalanche 12-4 in those contests. The Sharks have taken six of seven overall from the Avs and have won three straight and five of their last seven in Denver.