MIKE TROUT and Mike Scioscia are happy about the Angels’ 11-3 start. (Flickr/Keith Allison).

The Los Angeles Angels and Anaheim Ducks are headed in different directions, at least for now. The Angels won their fifth straight game Thursday, while the Ducks lost the opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs 3-0 in what’s been characterized as a listless performance.

Angels 7, Kansas City 1 (MLB)

You couldn’t ask too much more from the Halos on Thursday. They easily won their fifth straight game, defeating the Royals 7-1 and extending their lead in the American League West over the Houston Astros to 1.5 games.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani gave even the Kansas City fans a thrill with a three-run triple.  Halo starter Nick Tropeano (1-0) worked 6.2 shutout innings, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out six batters.  It was his first start since surgery in 2016.

“All I wanted to do was get out there and compete,” Tropeano said. “A year and a half of watching all your buddies play and all you want to do is compete. I just wanted to leave it all out on the field.”

At bat the Halos had 15 hits, including three each by Mike Trout (now batting .273) and Justin Upton (.296). Ohtani, by the way, has a .346 average. Ian Kinsler and Trout each homered.

The win put the team’s record at 11-3, the best start by Angels since 1979, when they won their first divisional flag.

On Friday the Angels will send Andrew Heaney (0-0) to the mound.

Sharks 3, Ducks 0 (NHL Playoffs)

After a hot streak that carried them into the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks turned as cold, as, well, ice, in their 3-0 defeat at the hands of the San Jose Sharks Thursday in the opening game of the playoffs’ first round.

After a scoreless first period, the visitors scored three times on the Honda Center ice in the second period. The third period was scoreless.

The Ducks were hampered by the loss of defensemen Cam Fowler and their own tendency to draw penalties.

Game Two will be on Saturday at Honda Center at 7:30 p.m.