11/20 7:05 PM NHL (67) ANAHEIM DUCKS at (68) VANCOUVER CANUCKS
FREE PICK: (67) ANAHEIM DUCKS -115
Following a spectacular start to the season, things have leveled off somewhat of late for the Ducks. But I see Anaheim being in a good spot to garner a road win tonight as they head to Vancouver.
There’s good news on the injury/illness front for Anaheim. Corey Perry returned to action on Sunday, and they will apparently get Francois Beauchemin back to bolster the blue line tonight. It also looks good for Devante Smith-Pelly, who has been doing a good job for the Ducks in spite of being well under the radar.
Vancouver played at Edmonton last night and managed to come away with a 5-4 win as Ryan Miller raised his career record against the Oilers to an amazing 11-0. But on each of the previous four instances where the Canucks have had to go back to back, Eddie Lack has gotten call on night number two. Lack is an okay goalie, but he’s a downgrade from Miller and the Canucks are only 1-3 when he starts.
I think Vancouver might has one of the more misleading records in the league thus far. They’re really a very average team in numerous categories, and while they’re getting by pretty well, I’m not sure they’re more than a back end of the conference playoff entry, if even that.
The Ducks are having some issues once the game gets past 60 minutes, so they might need to win this in regulation. But they grade out as the superior squad here by a pretty decent margin, and they have a definite scheduling advantage going their way tonight. Freddy Andersen has done stellar work in goal, and while it’s very small sample, he sure seems to like playing against the Canucks.
It’s all about the stats I focus on and the scheduling and those factors nearly all indicate Anaheim as the side tonight. I’ll be looking to play the Ducks tonight as long as the price is right and there’s no bad news on the lineup front.
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