The Anaheim Ducks (3-6-1), one of the NHL’s worst penalty killing teams, travel to face the Vancouver Canucks (2-6-2) and their opportunistic power play offense at Rogers Arena on Thursday. Anaheim is coming off a high-scoring 6-5 shootout win over the Sharks on Tuesday. The Ducks committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.
Adam Henrique led the Ducks with two goals. Anthony Stolarz allowed five goals on 44 shots against (.886%) in the win. Vancouver fell 5-2 to the Devils on Tuesday. Bo Horvat was the leading goal scorer for the Canucks, netting twice. Thatcher Demko only had 32 saves on 36 shots against (.888%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Ducks won three of the four games between the teams last season, including a 7-4 victory in their final meeting in February. Trevor Zegras led Anaheim with three points (0G 3A). Elias Pettersson led Vancouver with three points (1G 2A). John Gibson got the win despite allowing four goals on 20 shots (.800%).
FACING OFF
Anaheim is averaging just 2.50 goals per game so far this season, 30th in the NHL. The visitors will look to improve on that figure against a Canucks team that is allowing 4.00 goals a game (29th). Meanwhile, Vancouver has found the net 3.00 times a game on average, 19th in the league, and the Ducks are allowing opponents to score 4.30 goals per game (31st).
Vancouver averages fewer shots per game (27.4) than most teams in the league, ranking 28th, though the team’s 11.0% shooting percentage is eighth. Anaheim has had difficulty stopping shots, ranking No. 28 with a team save percentage of .889%.
The Canucks will be seeking to build on their fifth-ranked power play percentage of 27.78% against the Ducks, who are the league’s second-weakest penalty killing team (63.89%). Anaheim, meanwhile, has scored on just 6.67% of their power play opportunities (31st), which the visitors will be aiming to improve on against Vancouver’s NHL-worst 60.00% penalty killing rate.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 12 points this season, Troy Terry is the top skater for the Ducks. He has four goals and eight assists in 10 games. In the net, Stolarz (0-1-0) is Anaheim’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.59 GAA and a .892% save percentage.
Gibson (2-5-1) leads the Ducks in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 4.23 and a save percentage of .888%.Horvat and Pettersson lead the Canucks in scoring with 10 points apiece.
Horvat has eight goals (8th) and two assists in 10 games, while Pettersson has four goals and six assists in 10 games. Demko (1-5-1) is the top goalie for Vancouver with a goals against average of 4.05. He has a save percentage of .874%.
HOME AND AWAY
Anaheim is 1-5-1 away from home this season. Vancouver is 1-3-0 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Vancouver Canucks (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
