The Arizona Coyotes (32-28-5) will host the struggling Anaheim Ducks (24-32-9) on March 5th at 9PM ET. The Coyotes are on a six-game win streak as they have pushed themselves to within one point of a wild card spot. The Ducks just snapped a five-game losing streak and sit second to last in the West. Our Coyotes vs Ducks pick sees a good value in this game based on both clubs’ recent goaltending and offensive performances.
Goaltending Matchup
Darcy Kuemper has been great as of late. Over his last ten starts he has only one loss and has allowed more than two goals just twice. He has a .918 save percentage and a 2.54 GAA on the year. Over his last ten starts he has stopped .940 percent of shots he has faced. He draws a good matchup against the worst scoring team in the league.
The Ducks only bright spot on the year has been their goaltending. After missing nine games with an upper body injury John Gibson will make his third straight start. Gibson has a .915 save percentage and a 2.91 GAA on the year while stopping the seventh most shots in the NHL.
Ducks’ Lack of Offense
Anaheim’s biggest problem all season has been their troubles scoring. They are last in the NHL in scoring and have been shutout twice in their last five games. They also don’t have anyone on their roster that has averaged close to a point per game. Ryan Getzlaf is their leading scorer and just played his first game after missing five with an upper-body injury. All of Anaheim’s top players have been held off of the score sheet recently as well. Only one of the club’s top five scorers has had more than one point in the last five games. Jakob Silfverberg had a goal and assist against Colorado while Rickard Rakell (9-17-26) had a single assist. Adam Henrique (12-20-32), who is second on the team in scoring has not had a point in six games.
Arizona has scored an average of 3.66 goals per game on their win streak. This is about a goal higher than their season average of 2.65 GPG. While The Coyotes’ don’t have a point per game scorer, much of their roster seems to be involved offensively recently. While their top players have been productive, the team’s’ third line has been very effective lately. In Arizona’s last two games the line has scored five of the team’s eight goals. Brad Richardson had four out of five in the team’s win against Vancouver. Our Coyotes vs Ducks pick sees a clear advantage in goal scoring to Arizona.
Coyotes vs Ducks Pick
The Ducks have struggled with scoring all season and face a hot goaltender in Kuemper. Meanwhile the Coyotes have been getting offensive contributions throughout their lineup recently. Anaheim’s struggles on the road also shift this matchup into Arizona’s favor. The Ducks have more road losses than any other team besides Ottawa and the Coyotes have won their last five home games. Our Coyotes vs Ducks pick sees Arizona winning their seventh straight on Tuesday.
