Last Updated on October 5, 2017 8:00 pm by dpatrick
Coyotes vs. Ducks Pick
Are the host Anaheim Ducks going to overwhelm the Arizona Coyotes when they meet for the first time this season Thursday night at 10:00PM EST in Anaheim?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Ducks are listed as a -165 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Coyotes are a +145 underdog and the over-under is 5.5.
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Arizona finished last season 30-42-10 and missed the playoffs. Anaheim was 46-23-13 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated in six games by Nashville. The Ducks won three of four meetings last year and the over-under went 1-2-1.
Radim Vrbata led the Coyotes last year with 20 goals and 35 assists, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson contributed 12 goals and 27 assists. Louis Dominique will get the start in goal after going 11-15-1 with a 3.08 GAA and .908 save percentage a year ago. Anaheim was paced by Ryan Getzlaf (15 G, 58 A) and Ryan Kesler (22 G, 36 A) in 2016-17. John Gibson finished last year 25-16-9 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage last year.
The Coyotes are a work in progress, but seem to be heading in a positive direction as their trade and draft choices the last couple years have received rave reviews. But they are not ready to be a playoff contender yet and it will show against a Ducks team very close to reaching the Stanley Cup Finals last year. We definitely like Gibson and Anaheim to post the win tonight.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: ANAHEIM DUCKS -165