NHL Picks: Ducks' stars finally get going vs. Avs, Red Wings keep rolling – CBSSports.com
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks, where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz share their predictions for every game, every day.
Colorado Avalanche at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m. ET
In a matchup between a pair of teams on edge after inauspicious starts to the season, both are going to view Friday night’s game as an important one. The Ducks, in particular, may be starting to feel a little desperation setting in amid an 0-2-1 start. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are scrambling after a 1-2-0 start that has been anything but smooth.
The Ducks have been a popular pick to at least go to the Stanley Cup Final, but their performance over the first three games has been stunning. Anaheim has scored just one goal. It’s hard to believe a team that has Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf at their disposal would ever see their offense sputter like that. A 4-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday may have been the wakeup call the team needed though. They were roundly outplayed in that one.
Now they’ll get the Avalanche, who are expected to start backup goalie Reto Berra after a rough start for Semyon Varlamov, who has posted an .841 save percentage over his first three appearances.
Head coach Patrick Roy has been somewhat out of sorts over the first few games of the season, which included a late-game collapse against the Minnesota Wild and a blowout at the hands of the previously winless Boston Bruins. He openly questioned the team’s effort.
“I’m not sure if I would choose the word upset,” Roy insisted Thursday. “But if I’m unhappy …”
“If we don’t compete, or we get outworked, that becomes a problem. That should not be part of our values or our DNA at all. And if I accept that, I don’t think I’m doing my job.”
There have been some bright spots for the Avs, though. Captain Gabriel Landeskog has six points through the first three games, including four goals. Nathan MacKinnon, following a sophomore slump, has five points, as does new addition Francois Beauchemin.
There have been visible lapses in effort and execution, however, which is where there’s a fairly big concern. Anything short of Colorado’s best against a team like the Ducks is probably not going to lead to great results.
This is a situation where the Ducks are going to have to pounce on a team still licking its wounds after a humbling loss to the Bruins. Anaheim is typically very tough in its own building, but is 0-1-1 to start the season in Honda Center.
Facing the opposing team’s backup goalie should have Anaheim’s top players licking their chops after failing to score in the first three games. Getzlaf sounded angry after the loss to the Coyotes. I don’t think Colorado is going to like him when he’s angry. Pick: Ducks 5, Avalanche 3
Corey Perry has yet to register a point this season. (USATSI)
The rest of Friday’s picks:
San Jose Sharks 4, New Jersey Devils 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Detroit Red Wings 4, Carolina Hurricanes 2
Calgary Flames 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
St. Louis Blues 4, Vancouver Canucks 1
Los Angeles Kings 3, Minnesota Wild 1
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