Ducks vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Ducks Odds | +310 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -400 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-120 / +100) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
After a promising start to the season, the wheels have entirely fallen off for the Ducks, who enter this matchup with the Hurricanes in the midst of a 1-10-3 stretch. Life won't get any easier here either, as Anaheim will head into one of the league's toughest buildings for the second leg of a road back-to-back.
Can Carolina post another dominant home victory against lowly Anaheim?
Can Anaheim Turn Things Around?
The Ducks have fallen into an awful run of results since the start of 2022. The young team's play has only worsened since dealing three of its proven NHL talents in Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson and Rickard Rakell. That left the Ducks without three key pieces on a roster that had already been struggling, and the results have been poor as you may expect.
In the seven games since the trade deadline, Anaheim has won once and played to a lowly 46.17 expected goals rating. The struggles all over the ice have led to a dreadful -12 goal differential in that span.
With Anthony Stolarz taking the ice in Saturday's contest, the Ducks will look to John Gibson between the pipes here. You'd think that offers a notable advantage, but we've seen Gibson put together a shockingly subpar season to this point.
Surely playing behind a shaky defensive club hasn't helped Gibson's numbers, but his -13.0 goals saved above expected rating (GSAx) and .904 save percentage confirm that he has consistently been poor this season.
Carolina Has Ideal 'Get Right' Matchup
Carolina hasn't been at its best overall of late, but this is a favorable spot to get going at close to full strength.
The Canes have built a reputation for being notably hard to play against with a very fast and aggressive forecheck, and tremendous defensive play.
Friday's 2-1 loss to the Islanders certainly outlined that this offense can sometimes look less creative than other potential Cup contenders, but I do not foresee any problems generating scoring chances here.
Over a 10-game sample, the Canes remain 5-3-2 with a 56.53 expected goals rating. Any critiques of their play can only be made when comparing them to other elite NHL teams.
Frederik Andersen will likely get the start in goal here, having rested once this week already. A surprise start for Antti Raanta, though, wouldn't be a disaster for Canes bettors.
Andersen holds a +31.2 GSAx rating with a .926 save percentage in 49 games this season. He has supported Carolina's excellent defensive play with some tremendous netminding this season.
Ducks vs. Hurricanes Pick
This is an extremely tough spot for a thin Anaheim roster to hang around with a deep Carolina team. The Hurricanes will make life very tough on a shaky Ducks defense with a heavy forecheck coming line after line.
It's very realistic that we see Carolina generate 40 or more shots here, and I expect that to turn into a reasonable output.
To me, there is very little logical reasoning you could provide in explaining why bettors should back the Ducks. The obvious and sharp play will again be the same one. I'm confident that Carolina's form isn't a concern, and it'll be focused on avoiding a letdown.
Carolina opened at -130 to cover the puckline, which is a great number in my eyes. I recommend that play, and I'd play it to -145, where it might get by the time this one starts.
Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (-130, play to -145)
