NHL Picks: Ducks will keep rolling against struggling Canucks – CBS sports.com (blog)
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks where hockey writers Adam Gretz and Chris Peters make their picks for the all of the day’s games.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m. ET
There is not a hotter team in the NHL right now than the Anaheim Ducks, and suddenly, they are looking like Stanley Cup contenders again.
They enter play on Thursday night in Vancouver just three points behind the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division, and if everything goes their way (they beat the Canucks and the Kings lose to St. Louis) could finish the night just a single point back. Considering where this team was just a couple of months ago in late December, sitting in last place in the entire NHL and 13 points behind the Kings, it is a remarkable turnaround.
They have a 17-4-2 run over their past 23 games to thank for it.
They close out their current seven-game road trip tonight in Vancouver and will be looking to extend their winning streak to four games. So far it’s been a wildly successful trip that has seen them earn nine of their first 12 points that have been available to them, including at least a point in each of the past five games are losing the first game of the trip in Pittsburgh.
The biggest factor in their turnaround this season has been the simple fact their best players have finally started to find the back of the net after a terrible 10-game start to the season. After averaging just one goal per game through the first 10, the Ducks have averaged 2.93 in the 43 games that have followed, a mark that would be good enough to put them near the top of the league.
Corey Perry has been on an absolute tear during that stretch, while Ryan Getzlaf is piling up the points even though he’s not scoring a ton of goals himself. He only has six goals on the season (on pace for a career-low), but his 38 assists are fifth best in the entire league. The puck may not be going in the net off of his stick, but he has certainly been creating a ton of offense.
David Perron has also been a welcome addition to the lineup following the trade with Pittsburgh and the change of scenery seems to be doing wonders for him. After recording just 16 points in 43 games with the Penguins, he already has 13 points in 13 games with the Ducks.
On Thursday they get a Canucks team that simply has not been very good this season, and seems to be getting worse. The Canucks enter Thursday with losses in six of their past eight games while being outscored by a 25-16 margin. Their past two games, losses to a bad Toronto team and a Minnesota team that just fired its coach and had lost eight in a row, saw them get outscored by a 10-4 margin. At the end of the day, it’s a team that is probably best served at this point by losing the rest of the way in an effort to improve its chances at Auston Matthews.
They should get that help on Thursday against the Ducks. Pick: Anaheim Ducks 4, Vancouver Canucks 2
The rest of Thursday’s picks
Washington Capitals 5, New York Islanders 4
Detroit Red Wings 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 2
New York Rangers 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Ottawa Senators 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Winnipeg Jets 2
Florida Panthers 3, San Jose Sharks 2
Los Angeles Kings 2, St. Louis Blues 0
Boston Bruins 4, Nashville Predators 3
Dallas Stars 3, Arizona Coyotes 1
Minnesota Wild 5, Edmonton Oilers 3
The Anaheim Ducks are the hottest team in the NHL right now. (USATSI)
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