Anaheim Ducks vs. Utah Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 22nd 2024

Preview and Prediction

The Utah Hockey Club aims to maintain its current winning streak as it prepares to face off against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon.

Utah has emerged victorious in four consecutive games, marking its longest winning streak of the season. The team has also managed to secure at least one point in seven straight games, with a record of 6-0-1 during this stretch.

In their most recent game, Utah defeated the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Wild entered the game with the third-highest number of points in the Western Conference (44).

Utah has also claimed victories over the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche during their current winning streak, both of which are teams with winning records.

According to Utah head coach Andre Tourigny, the team's success is a result of gradual improvement and a stronger focus on defense. "You don't go from struggling a little bit to winning on a consistent basis," Tourigny stated. "You climb slowly and start to play better defensively, and even if we weren't winning a lot, we were playing better."

Leading the way for Utah is 21-year-old right winger Dylan Guenther, who is currently on a seven-game point streak and has scored six goals in the past four games. Guenther was responsible for both goals in the team's recent win against the Wild.

"I think when the team has success, so do the individuals," Guenther said. "So I'm just kind of the beneficiary of it, and our line's playing well right now. Just try to keep it going."

The Anaheim Ducks hosted Utah in their home opener on October 16 and managed to secure a 5-4 overtime victory after scoring the tying goal with just over five minutes left in the game.

Since that game, the Ducks have shown gradual improvement, although they are currently without one of their top players, Trevor Zegras, who is recovering from knee surgery and is expected to be out for another four weeks.

Anaheim recently secured an impressive 3-2 comeback win against the Winnipeg Jets, but were unable to replicate their success in their most recent game against the Colorado Avalanche, losing 4-2.

The Ducks have struggled on the power play this season, with a success rate of only 14.3%, which is the fourth lowest in the NHL. "I think part of it is not having Zegras in our lineup," said Ducks forward Alex Killorn, who scored one of the team's two goals against the Avalanche. "He's great on the power play, but we've got to find ways to score whether it's, you know, just getting more shots from the top, which can create more. But yeah, it can't be a momentum-killer for us. Even if we don't score, we have to kind of try to gain some momentum on it."

Leo Carlsson, who scored the other goal against the Avalanche, has been a key playmaker for the Ducks in Zegras' absence. "He's going to be a driver, he's going to be one of those guys that's pushing the pace," said Ducks coach Greg Cronin of Carlsson. "A lot of his growth as a player is going to be in a third of the ice, whether he's driving the net on a rush or he's pulling the puck off the yellow and driving inside ice to shoot it in the offensive zone."

PREDICTION

Anaheim Ducks

2

4

Utah