The Utah Mammoth (10-7-1) and Anaheim Ducks (11-6-1) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EST at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Mammoth are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-110o / -110u). The Mammoth are a -115 favorite to win outright, while the Ducks are +105 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 +205 | 6.5 -110o / -110u | -115 |
| Ducks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -250 | 6.5 -110o / -110u | +105 |
- Mammoth vs. Ducks Spread: Mammoth -1.5 (+205), Ducks +1.5 (-250)
- Mammoth vs. Ducks Over/Under: 6.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Mammoth vs. Ducks Moneyline: Mammoth -115, Ducks +105
Mammoth vs. Ducks Preview
Utah Mammoth
Utah has had a little bit of time to think over its heartbreaking overtime loss to the Islanders from Friday, and now it gets to walk into the fire of the Pacific.
It’s been a rough November for the Mammoth. After starting the season 8-2, they’ve gone 2-5 this month.
Luckily, the big guns are starting to wake up from hibernation. Logan Cooley now has points in two of his last three games, captain Clayton Keller has points in three straight, and JJ Peterka has goals in consecutive games.
At 5-on-5 play, the Mammoth are staying pretty steady, keeping themselves in the middle in hopes of another breakout. In November, they’re ranked 16th in both the offensive and defensive ends, with a 50.51 xGF% and a 2.72 xGA/60.
Special teams have been a bit of a grind, especially on the power play, where Utah only scores at a 15% pace. However, an encouraging sign is that the penalty kill has been humming, successfully converting 16 consecutive penalty kills.
I do, however, worry about Utah’s goaltending, as Karel Vejmelka has taken a significant step backward after an incredibly hot start.
He’s playing to an .880 SV% and a 0.5 GSAx.
Anaheim Ducks
A big question to ask is, can the Ducks bounce back after a 0-3 road trip?
Well, tonight will be a huge test, because the Ducks are a fantastic team at home – among the best in the league with a 5-1-0 record.
Leo Carlsson is playing out of his mind, scoring at nearly a point and a half per game pace, while both Cutter Gauthier and Chris Kreider are lighting the lamp as well at a rapid rate.
Anaheim has done a great job building its young core around well-traveled vets like Kreider and Jacob Trouba.
However, given this losing stretch, defensively, the Ducks have struggled, posting a seventh-worst 2.87 xGA/60 this month. Offensively, they’ve been fine playing to an 11th-best 52.31 xGF%.
Anaheim’s goaltending is an interesting case, as Lukas Dostal started the season red hot, but this recent stretch has certainly hurt his overall numbers. His current .903 SV% is rather concerning, but his 8.9 GSAx suggests to me that this stretch has just been a cause of the poor defense in front of him.
Mammoth vs. Ducks Prediction
This is a game that features two underperforming teams with hopes to get back on the hump, and quite frankly, who wouldn’t want to watch a matchup like this?
What’s really fascinating is that the Ducks are currently the underdogs in this matchup, even though they’re an elite team at home.
You can probably tack it onto their recent losing streak, but Utah isn’t exactly dominant anymore either.
The Mammoth have been playing semi-decently, but November is always a wake-up call to teams that haven’t been the hunted yet.
At least Anaheim has some vets to keep the young guns even-keeled.
I love the Ducks to bounce back in this spot here, and we’re going to ride with the home ‘dogs.
Pick: Ducks ML
