Anaheim Ducks vs New Jersey Devils - Odds and Predictions

Where: Prudential Center – Newark, N.J.

When: Wednesday, December 18, 7 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Prime Ticket, MSG+ | WFAN

Anaheim Ducks (Away)

Head Coach: Dallas Eakins{All-Time 50-78-18 ANA, EDM}

The Ducks sit seventh in the Pacific division and third-last in the Western Conference.

This matchup against New Jersey will be their second game of a four-game road trip. Anaheim has struggled on the road this season, going only 5-8-2.

Check out also: “Who are the 2020 Stanley Cup Favorites?”

Offense

The Anaheim Ducks currently sit at 25th in the league this season and part of that reason is that they have the eighth-lowest goal total. The team has only a combined 79 goals this season in 30 games played. They average only 2.58 per game.

Even with the man advantage, the Ducks can’t seem to score. Only the Ottawa Senators have a worse power play than the Ducks. Anaheim currently sits with a 10.53 power-play percentage and they have the fewest power-play goals in the NHL with eight.

In fact, this team has almost as many short-handed goals as they do power-play goals. They have scored five times with a man disadvantage.

Anaheim has the fourth-fewest shots in the league and their shooting percentage sits at just 9.1 percent this season.

Defense

Let’s just say that the Ducks are lucky that they’re facing New Jersey in this matchup.

Although they have five short-handed goals this season, the Anaheim Ducks penalty kill still ranks as the league’s eighth-worst at 76.77 percent. They also average the second-most penalty minutes at just over 12 per game. Their kill ranks one spot below the Devils.

The Ducks have allowed almost 20 goals less than the Devils this season, however. They have received better goaltending from New Jersey, but how long can that last? Anaheim has a combined .907 save percentage this season – ranked 16th in the NHL.

Strangely, the Anaheim Ducks allow more shots on net than the New Jersey Devils, allowing an average of 31.6 shots against per game.

Goaltending

Veteran goaltender Ryan Miller is expected to be in net for the Ducks Wednesday night. Miller, so far, has a season record of 4-2-2. He has an even 3.00 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

Head Coach: Alain Nasreddine{All-Time 1-4-1 NJD}

Just one week after firing John Hynes from their head coach position, the New Jersey Devils will now also be without their former top-star and Hart trophy winner Taylor Hall. Hall was traded to the Arizona Coyotes for draft picks and prospects, none of which will have an immediate positive effect on the team. Is New Jersey already done for the season?

Offense

The New Jersey Devils have the third-fewest goals in the league this season and that was WITH Taylor Hall on the roster. New Jersey has only managed to pot 73 goals in 29 games.

A large part of this is due to the fact that they aren’t getting enough shots on net. The Devils have the sixth-fewest shots on goal this season giving them a shooting percentage of only 8.1 percent – the league’s fifth-worst.

The Devils’ power play has also struggled. Although better than Anaheim’s, they rank as the fourth-worst special teams unit this season with a 14.02 percent. Expect that to drop without Hall.

Defense

The Devils have allowed 105 goals against this season. Only the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks have allowed more this season.

Strangely, the Devils have allowed the tenth-fewest shots against this season. Unfortunately, they’ve received some poor goaltending. This explains why starting goaltender Corey Schneider was placed on waivers last month. The Devils combined save percentage is at .882 – the third-worst in the NHL.

New Jersey also ranks in the bottom ten when it comes to the penalty kill. They have only a 77.08 penalty-killing percentage and have allowed 22 power-play goals against.

Goaltending

The Devils’ young goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood is once against expected to start for New Jersey Wednesday night. Blackwood is 9-9-4 on the season with a GAA of 2.85 and a .908 save percentage. He has one shutout on the year.

These two teams have not competed against one another since last season. On January 19, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the New Jersey Devils with a final score of 3-2.

Not much.

The Ducks lost their best players before the season even started (Corey Perry to free agency and Ryan Kesler to injury) and they haven’t had much to work with.

The New Jersey Devils have now lost their player as well with the trading of Taylor Hall and have also lost their coach.

These two teams are basically in shambles and it’s just a battle to see who’s not the worst. With that said, we could expect someone to put on a breakout performance; most likely New Jersey’s young goalie MacKenzie Blackwood.

Questions to Answer

Is home-ice advantage a factor in this game? Anaheim has a terrible road record at 5-8-2 but New Jersey has an equally poor home record, going just 4-7-5 at the Prudential Center this season.

Will New Jersey’s “goaltender of the future” MacKenzie Blackwood have a statement performance against the future hall-of-famer Ryan Miller?

For as much as New Jersey has struggled, Blackwood has held on for a GAA and save percentage that is superior to Miller’s this season.

What will the New Jersey’s already struggling offense look like in their first game since losing their top forward Taylor Hall? Will anyone step up to fill the gap? Will the team manage to score at all?

Anaheim Ducks Injury Report

F Patrick Eaves – IR/NR (undisclosed)

F Ryan Kesler – IR/NR (hip)

F Nick Ritchie – DL (lower-body)

New Jersey Devils Injury Report

G Louis Domingue – DL (lower-body)

D Matt Tennyson – DL (upper-body)

D Connor Carrick – DL (finger)

Anaheim Ducks vs New Jersey Devils – Game Odds

The odds for the Anaheim Ducks vs the New Jersey Devils game are provided by bet365 NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and SugarHouse NJ.

Good luck!

Money Line