Anaheim Ducks vs. Colorado Avalanche Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 18th 2024

Stadium: Pepsi Center Denver
Logo Anaheim Ducks
VS
Logo Colorado Avalanche
6.5
OPENER
-1.5
6.5o -125
CURRENT
-1.5 +103
+205
MONEYLINE
-255
0
SCORE
0

Preview and Prediction

Last season, the Anaheim Ducks were among the weakest teams in the NHL, finishing with only 59 points and failing to make it to the postseason. However, this season has started off much more positively for Anaheim, especially when compared to the struggling Colorado Avalanche.

So far, the Ducks have won two out of their first three games, including a thrilling overtime victory against the Utah team. They will now face the struggling Avalanche in Denver on Friday night, hoping to secure their third win of the season.

While Anaheim's home opener win marked their ninth consecutive victory in that event, it has not been a reliable indicator of success for the rest of the season in recent years. The Ducks have not made it to the postseason since 2018 and their young team is eager to change that.

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Their win on Wednesday night was a close one, with the Ducks trailing by a goal until Pavel Mintyukov scored his second goal of the night to tie the game and send it into overtime. It was then Leo Carlsson who sealed the deal with a game-winning goal just 54 seconds into the extra period.

Trevor Zegras of the Ducks praised Carlsson's performance, saying, "He's just a special player when he gets going and a lot of fun to watch."

Anaheim is determined to turn their recent history against the Avalanche around. Colorado has dominated their matchups in recent years, with a record of 13-2-2 since the start of the 2020-21 season and 11-1-1 in their last 13 meetings. However, the Avalanche have not looked like a top contender this season, losing all four of their games in regulation and being outscored 25-13.

Despite a more competitive showing in their 5-3 loss to Boston on Wednesday, the Avalanche are still winless and have struggled to hold onto leads. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has been pulled in two of their four games and will soon face competition for the starting position from newly acquired Kaapo Kahkonen.

The Avalanche will also be missing key players in their upcoming game, with top defenseman Devon Toews out for a third consecutive game and first-line forward Jonathan Drouin missing his fourth. However, there is some good news as Miles Wood, who left Wednesday's game due to injury, is expected to return for Saturday's game.

Despite their struggles, coach Jared Bednar remains optimistic, saying, "I believe in the team. We are such a good team who can score a lot. We can play great defense. Just have to learn from it but not get discouraged and get to the next one with sharp brains."

With the addition of Kahkonen and the return of some key players, the Avalanche will look to turn their season around and secure their first win against the Ducks this Friday.

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PREDICTION
Anaheim Ducks
2
5
Colorado Avalanche

Anaheim Ducks vs. Colorado Avalanche Recap JAN 2TH 2022

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists while Logan O'Connor, Gabriel Landeskog and Devon Toews also scored, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 in Denver on Sunday.

Nathan MacKinnon had three assists and Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots for Colorado, which was playing for the first time since Dec. 16 due to a COVID-19 pause.

Cam Fowler and Sam Carrick scored goals, Kevin Shattenkirk had two assists and John Gibson made 32 saves for the Ducks, who lost their fourth straight.

Anaheim was without its captain, Ryan Getzlaf, who entered the NHL health and safety protocol before the game. Max Comtois was activated off the list after missing two games. He had missed 18 of the last 19 games due to injury and COVID-19.

The game was tied at 2-all when MacKinnon fed O'Connor on an odd-man rush, and he roofed a shot at 18:49 to put the Avalanche ahead. Gibson came off for an extra skater and Rantanen scored an empty-net goal.

The Ducks struck first when Shattenkirk sent a shot to the net that Kuemper saved. Carrick was there to knock it in between his pads at 1:55 of the first period. It was his eighth goal of the season.

It stayed that way until early in the second period. With Sam Girard in the penalty box for shooting the puck over the glass, Anaheim pressured Colorado on the power play. The Ducks finally broke through when Fowler skated down the slot and redirected a pass from Comtois off the post and in at 3:22. It was his fifth of the season.

The Avalanche responded on the power play later in the period. Rantanen had the puck above the circles and slid a pass to Toews as he entered the zone, and his slapshot beat Gibson high for his fifth marker of the season, making it 2-1 at 11:47.

Colorado tied it up early in the third with Anaheim short-handed. Gibson made a save on MacKinnon's slapshot from the left circle but Landeskog tapped in the rebound at 3:19. It was his 10th goal of the season.