The Boston Bruins visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, and the market cannot separate them. Boston is listed at -117 on the moneyline. Anaheim sits at -103 after opening at even money. The total is 6.0, exactly where it opened. Boston arrives on a three-game winning streak with the better goaltending numbers. Anaheim has won five straight meetings in this series. Below we work through the goaltending matchup, the schedule spot and the special-teams gap, then land on two plays.
Last Updated: October 16, 2026
Boston Bruins vs. Anaheim Ducks — Game Info
| Where | Honda Center, Anaheim California |
| When | October 16 – 10:00 PM ET |
| TV | NESN, KCOP-13, Prime Video |
Boston Bruins vs. Anaheim Ducks Betting Preview
The goaltending matchup leads this one, and it tilts toward Boston. Jeremy Swayman is projected to start for the Bruins at 5-1-0 with a .930 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average. Lukas Dostal is the projected Anaheim starter at 3-2-0, .892 and 2.98. Neither start had been confirmed at the time of writing, so treat the read as provisional. Confirmations in hockey usually land in the hours before puck drop. Ville Husso has appeared in two games behind Dostal, and a late change would reshape both the side and the total.
Boston is 5-2-0 with 10 points and sits third in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have won three in a row, including a 6-3 result in San Jose on Tuesday. However, that night was less comfortable than the score suggests. San Jose outshot and out-chanced Boston for long stretches. Anaheim is 4-2-0 with eight points and eighth in the Western Conference. The Ducks have dropped two of their last three at home, most recently 4-2 to Calgary on Tuesday.
Anaheim’s lineup is the thinner of the two. Troy Terry is on injured reserve after offseason hip surgery. Ryan Poehling is out with a sprained MCL and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Mikael Granlund, who has eight points, did not practice Thursday and is day-to-day. Cutter Gauthier is also day-to-day, though Dobber Hockey reported him back at practice Thursday. Boston lists no injuries. Charlie McAvoy played his first game of the season on Tuesday after sitting out the first six.
Special teams is where the gap opens. Anaheim has converted seven of 21 power plays, a 33.3% rate, and has allowed two goals on 21 kills. Boston has killed 76.0% of its penalties and has given up six power-play goals in 25 chances. The Bruins have also taken 96 penalty minutes in seven games. Both samples are small and will regress. Still, the direction is consistent. One more framing note before the tables: the moneyline, puck line and total here are full-game markets, so overtime and the shootout count. A game tied after 60 minutes still produces a winner and at least one more goal. More of Thursday’s card is covered in our Mammoth vs Oilers prediction and our Jets vs Blackhawks prediction.
Boston Bruins vs. Anaheim Ducks Odds
| Puck Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruins | -1.5 (+215) | -117 | O 6.0 (-120) |
| Ducks | +1.5 (-260) | -103 | U 6.0 (+100) |
Odds accurate as of October 16, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NHL Odds – Futures – Props
Boston Bruins vs. Anaheim Ducks — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Bruins | 33% | 67% | Ducks |
See the latest NHL Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Bruins vs. Ducks Prediction — What Boston’s Saturday in Los Angeles Means Tonight
Boston is in the middle of a four-game road trip and on the front end of a back-to-back. The Bruins face the Kings on Saturday at 9:00 PM ET, roughly 23 hours after this puck drop. Teams in that spot often manage minutes and ask less of their top defensemen. Anaheim last played Tuesday, so the Ducks have had three full days to rest and prepare. Their own travel starts after this game, with a four-game eastern trip opening in New York on Monday. In other words, the rest edge belongs entirely to the home team tonight.
The market has drifted the same way. Anaheim opened at even money and is now -103. Boston opened at -120 and has shortened to -117. Yet 56% of moneyline bets sit on Boston, so the number is moving against the ticket count. That pattern is reverse line movement, and it is the most useful single signal the market offers. The puck line reads differently. There, 67% of bets back Anaheim, and that price has moved with them from -235 to -260. Movement toward the popular side is the expected outcome, and it carries little information.
The case against Anaheim is the goaltending, and in hockey that is the heaviest input of all. Swayman’s .930 is comfortably the best number in this game, and Dostal’s .892 is nowhere near it. Anaheim is also without Granlund’s production and is still waiting on Gauthier. Boston averages 3.71 goals per game and carries the deeper forward group. Against that, the Ducks hold home ice, the rest advantage and a clear special-teams edge over a Boston penalty kill sitting at 76.0%. The price asks for barely better than a coin flip in a game the home side has situational reasons to win. The edge is thin rather than obvious, and a confirmed switch in the Anaheim net would be the thing that tips it further.
The Pick: Anaheim Ducks Moneyline (-103)
Bruins vs. Ducks Prediction — Where David Pastrnak’s Cold Start Is Misleading
David Pastrnak has two goals in seven games, which reads like a slow start. The volume says something else. He has 27 shots on goal in those seven games, an average of 3.86 per night, and he leads Boston with eight points. Six of those points are assists, so the finishing has lagged behind the process rather than the reverse. That is the sort of split that corrects itself without any change in role or minutes.
Anaheim concedes 27.0 shots per game and has been outshot 162-141 across six games, which is a workable volume environment. The risk runs the other way too. Boston has been outshot 201-179, and a team without the puck generates fewer looks for everyone. Meanwhile Pastrnak anchors the first power-play unit, and the Bruins have drawn 18 power plays in seven games. A late Anaheim lead would also cut Boston’s offensive-zone time in the third period. The number asks for close to a coin flip, and his rate sits above it.
The Pick: David Pastrnak 4+ Shots on Goal (-103)
Our Final Word on Bruins vs. Ducks
Both reads lean on the same unconfirmed input. Neither starting goaltender had been announced at the time of writing. A change in either net would move the side, the total and the shot markets. Anyone backing these plays should check the confirmations before puck drop. The full-game total of 6.0 has not budged from its open. It also sits close to where the two teams’ scoring rates point. There is no third angle worth forcing here.
Anaheim at -103 on the full-game moneyline is the stronger play, chiefly because the rested home side holds the special-teams edge. David Pastrnak at 4+ shots on goal (-103) follows, because his 3.86 shots per game clears what that price asks for.
NHL Bruins vs. Ducks FAQ: October 16, 2026
What time does the Bruins vs. Ducks game start?
Puck drop is set for 10:00 PM ET on Friday, October 16, 2026, which is 7:00 PM local time in Anaheim. It is the second game of Boston’s four-game road trip, and the Bruins play again the following night in Los Angeles at 9:00 PM ET.
What channel is the Bruins vs. Ducks game on?
The game airs on NESN for Boston viewers and on KCOP-13 in the Los Angeles and Anaheim market, with a Prime Video feed also listed for Ducks coverage. Out-of-market viewers will need a national package rather than either regional broadcast.
Where are the Bruins and Ducks playing?
The game is at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, the Ducks’ home arena. It is Anaheim’s last home date before a four-game eastern road trip that opens against the Rangers on Monday, October 19, and continues against the Islanders the following night.
Who won the last meeting between the Bruins and Ducks?
Anaheim won the last meeting 4-3 at Honda Center on November 19, 2025. The Ducks also won 7-5 in Boston on October 23, 2025, sweeping the two-game series. Anaheim has now taken five consecutive games against the Bruins, dating back to the 2024-25 season.
Where do the Bruins and Ducks stand in the standings?
Boston is 5-2-0 with 10 points, third in the Eastern Conference through seven games. Anaheim is 4-2-0 with eight points, eighth in the Western Conference through six games. Both teams are therefore in playoff position this early, with the Bruins holding the better points total.