The Utah Mammoth (12-12-3) and Anaheim Ducks (16-9-1) meet in an NHL duel tonight. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EST at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Mammoth are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-115o / -105u). The Mammoth are a -111 favorite to win outright, while the Ducks are -110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Mammoth vs. Ducks predictions and NHL picks.
Mammoth vs. Ducks Odds, Pick
| Mammoth Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +230 | 6.5 -115o / -105u | -111 |
| Ducks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -270 | 6.5 -115o / -105u | -110 |
- Mammoth vs. Ducks Spread: Utah -1.5 (+230), Ducks +1.5 (-270)
- Mammoth vs. Ducks Over/Under: 6.5 (-115o / -105u)
- Mammoth vs. Ducks Moneyline: Utah -111, Ducks -110
Mammoth vs. Ducks Preview
Utah Mammoth
The word ‘rough’ is hardly the word to describe the stretch that the Mammoth are currently undergoing. But it shouldn’t be much of a surprise, considering this franchise is notorious for hot starts and an aggressive downturn.
Since November 14, Utah has played 10 games and lost eight of them, with three of those losses coming in overtime.
Throughout that time, the Mammoth have also played to a middling 51.59 xGF% and a 2.87 xGA/60.
They’ve gotten high-end production from Logan Cooley, who’s quickly becoming one of the game’s brightest stars. He may have been held pointless in his past two games, but last week, he registered a game where he notched four goals and five points.
The problem is that Utah, given all the high-end talent up front, has the league’s worst power play, scoring at a paltry 13.2% clip. Its penalty kill has been fine, at 80.2%, but the goaltending is starting to turn this team into a volatile one quickly.
Expect Karel Vejmelka to start after he was pulled in Monday’s game against the Sharks.
Vejmelka, after starting the season as one of the best netminders, has quickly taken a fall from grace. He currently owns an .882 SV% and his GSAx has dropped down to a 1.4.
In the month of November, he posted a terrible .879 SV%.
Anaheim Ducks
Don’t look now, the Ducks still stand atop the Pacific Division.
It’s been through a series of trading wins and losses over the past couple of weeks, but after a hot stretch for a young team, wins are wins.
They recently just came off a 4-1 win against the Blues in St. Louis, where Leo Carlsson extended his point streak to seven games, and rookie Beckett Sennecke extended his to eight.
Not only that, Cutter Gauthier has solidified himself as one of the game’s prime goal scorers as well.
Throughout this stretch, it hasn’t really been pretty for the Ducks. Because of their inability to keep a consistent stretch going, Anaheim has done poorly at 5-on-5 play, with a 47.72 xGF% since November 19 and a bottom-three 3.19 xGA/60.
Special teams have also been a pain point for the franchise, especially in this stretch. On the power play, the Ducks have only converted 14% of the time, and their penalty kill has only been successful 69% of the time.
Luckily, Utah’s power play is terrible.
Anaheim’s biggest loss came in net, as Lukas Dostal headed to the IR in the latter part of November.
Since then, it’s been the Petr Mrazek and Ville Husso show, both of whom have sub-.900 SV% and a terrible GSAx.
Mammoth vs. Ducks Prediction
I can see why Utah is favored at this point, given the fact that Dostal is out, but I would be careful with this.
Vejmelka is no prize either anymore, and even if Vanecek starts, he’s not exactly Martin Brodeur.
Also, Anaheim has a 9-3 record at home, while Utah is 5-9-2 on the road.
My hope for the Mammoth to become a thing this season has been washed away by this terrible 2-5-3 stretch. Perhaps they come back later in the season, but the goaltending has truly raised a red flag and I’m not sure if I should cut my losses and move on or not.
Anaheim, given both its 5-on-5 and special teams struggles, is a team that I feel more comfortable backing. With the perfect blend of youth and seasoned vets, not to mention a legendary coach in Joel Quenneville, why wouldn’t you back them as underdogs at home?
Pick: Anaheim Ducks ML
