NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Ducks vs. Devils — Ducks No Match For Devils (October 18)

Ducks vs. Devils Odds

The Anaheim Ducks have had a very difficult start to their East Coast road trip, as they are 0-2 through the first two games and have been outscored 13-5 in both games combined.

The New Jersey Devils haven't necessarily had the best start to their season, either, but I believe that they are the better team in this matchup.

The Ducks are playing for the second night in a row and their third game in four nights, so this is a chance for the Devils to take advantage of that and find their first win of the season.

Not Much to Write Home About For the Ducks So Far This Season

The Ducks have yet to play a strong 60 minutes through their first three games. They have come out flat in all three games thus far, allowing a total of five goals in the first periods alone.

Anaheim is a very young team this season, and it might take some time for them to find their footing, but I am not impressed with what I have seen from them thus far. The Islanders destroyed them 7-1 on October 15 and completely outshot them, winning that battle 38-23. The Rangers also had their way with the Ducks, outshooting them 43-22 on their way to a 6-4 win.

The Ducks have allowed 17 goals through three games, and we will most likely see Anthony Stolarz get his first start of the season. Stolarz has appeared in two of the games, but he hasn't made a start yet. In those appearances, he has skated to a .850 SV% and a 4.59 GAA. The Ducks goaltending has not helped them at all.

Anaheim has the second-worst goals against in the league, averaging 5.67 goals allowed per game, so I have no idea what to expect from them defensively tonight.

New Jersey Ready to Break Out Against the Ducks?

I expected a little bit more out of the New Jersey Devils to start the season, but there have been some positive signs.

The Devils dropped their home opener in a 5-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings, but they actually completely dominated and were the better team, despite the outcome. The Devils had 4.56 expected goals in that game but were only able to find the back of the net twice, although they had no issues generating offense, as they put up 39 shots on goal.

Speaking of shots on goal, the Devils currently have the fifth most per game, averaging 38.0 shots per contest. It is only a matter of time until those shots turn into goals.

The Devils haven't announced a starting goalie for this one yet, but if I had to guess, I would say that it's going to be Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood started the team's first game and didn't play great, but he had a much better showing than Vitek Vanacek did in the team's previous game.

The Devils have a ton of talent offensively; they just need to find a bit of a spark that could come against a team as weak as the Ducks. I think this will be the game where Jack Hughes, gets going considering the fact that he has been held pointless through the first two games.

Ducks vs. Devils Pick

Neither of these teams has had a very strong start to the season, but the Devils have shown way more positive signs between the two of them. The Devils could have easily won their last game against the Red Wings had they gotten a little more help from Vanacek in goal.

The Ducks have only won one game in their last six visits to New Jersey and the Ducks have already struggled in their first two games of this road trip. Anaheim isn't playing with much confidence right now, and the Devils are going to be desperate to get their first win of the season, especially in front of their home crowd.

I think Mackenzie Blackwood will have a strong bounce-back performance and help lead the Devils to their first win. They should secure this win in regulation.

Pick: New Jersey Devils 3-way (-115)