Preview: Hurricanes @ Ducks (2/82) - Home Sweet Home

Recent Performance

The Ducks are coming off a 4-1 defeat last night at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, but despite the score, there were plenty of positives to take away from the game. The systems implemented by Greg Cronin already seem to be yielding positive results for the Ducks in their own zone, as the Golden Knights struggled for a majority of the game to find high-danger chances. The Ducks’ ultimate demise was allowing six power play opportunities for the defending Stanley Cup Champs. You just can’t do that and expect to win, especially on the road.

The Carolina Hurricanes also played last night, a marathon barnburner that ended with them claiming a 6-5 victory after a nine-round shootout, improving to 2-0 on the season. They started their season back on Wednesday with a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators, so there has certainly been no shortage of offense for the Hurricanes thus far this season.

Players to Watch

Anaheim Ducks - Trevor Zegras. The Ducks only ended up with one goal yesterday, scored by Mason McTavish, but Zegras had a couple of good looks and couldn’t find the back of the net. He even appeared to be in the beginning of a Michigan attempt early in the game but couldn’t get the puck off the ice. I expect him to be buzzing tonight and would expect him to make an impact offensively.

Carolina Hurricanes - I’ll be watching Jesper Kotkaniemi closely in this game. Sebastian Aho is undoubtedly the biggest threat offensively for the Hurricanes, but the Ducks will need to be aware of where Kotkaniemi is as well. The penalty kill will also get a good test today for Anaheim, so they will need to make sure they limit the amount of penalties they take.

Stat Pack

prediction

Carolina had a long game yesterday and they were able to eke out a win in the shootout. They didn’t look particularly like the Carolina Hurricanes of the past couple years that dominate the shot counter and drive the majority of play (they were outshot 30-19 by LA). I like the Ducks to have a strong showing at home for the first game this season at Honda Center, getting the offense to take strides forward and even converting on the power play. I’ll say 4-2 Anaheim.