by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Oct 22, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Venue: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Where to watch: ESPN+, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports San Diego
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Wild -280, Ducks +225
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Wild -280, Ducks +230
Season record
Ducks: 2-3-0, 4 points
Wild: 3-0-0, 6 points
Matt is coming off a loss with Nashville on Thursday and he is now 5-4 on the season. He has put together a 312-268 +$20,201 NHL record since the start of the 2018 season and he is ready to keep it rolling with his Friday Top Play! Catch Matt’s and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Ducks - Wild preview and analysis
Recent form
Ducks: lost 5-1 at Jets on Thursday
Wild: won 6-5 (OT) vs. Jets on Tuesday
The strong start for the Anaheim Ducks was so fun to watch. Now things are about to subdue for a little bit.
After two straight losses, the Ducks will travel to St. Paul to take on the undefeated Minnesota Wild in a rematch from last Friday.
The Ducks are coming off a 5-1 loss at the Winnipeg Jets in which the Ducks gave up three goals in the third period, and five unanswered in total for their second straight loss during a quick Canadian road trip.
"Winnipeg is a dangerous team," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "If you leave something a little too juicy, they're going to put it in your net. So I think it was a great lesson in that. We like our zone time, we like our chances at the net, we like our shot count, we like our attempts, we like the way our power play looked, but we didn't like what we left. We have to get better at that."
The Ducks got off to a strong start as they begin their youth movement. Mason McTavish, the third overall pick in this year's draft, paced the Anaheim offense with two points through three games before going on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on Monday. They're already throwing last year's first-round picks Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale into the fire, with both combining for three points.
The surprise out of all this is actually defenseman Kevin Shattnkirk with six points through five games. He's tied with Jakob Silfverberg for the team lead.
But the Ducks are having to do a lot of travel with their sixth game in just over a week. The Wild, meanwhile, will have had three days off before their Saturday game. The Wild are coming off a ... wait for it ... wild 6-5 win over the same Jets on Tuesday in a game that you can only see to believe. Seriously, go look at that game.
"We wanted to win the first one at home and give our fans something to cheer about because it's been a long time without them," Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. "Nothing better than picking right back up with a rivalry with Winnipeg. They're always a good team and they've got a lot of good players. They're trying to play physical. They haven't had two great games … so it was important to match their intensity and that's what you get. It's a lot of fun these games playing against rivals, and it's just nice to have that back."
Foligno scored the game-winning goal with seven seconds left last Friday, a 2-1 win for Minnesota in their season opener at Anaheim. Cam Talbot has won all three starts to begin the season, but he gave up five goals against the Jets. Expect him to have a much better game this time around.
Prediction
The Wild won't fall into the trap of having too much time off. With the Ducks coming back from north of the border, a refreshed Talbot should do what he did last week -- stop all but one shot and get the Wild to a 4-0-0 start. Wild win 4-1
Betting trends
The Ducks are 8-2 in the last three seasons following two straight road losses.
Anaheim is 29-43 in its last 72 when playing a fourth game in seven days.
Minnesota is 45-36 the last three seasons after playing a division game.
Projected lines
Ducks:
Adam Henrique -- Trevor Zegras -- Rickard Rakell
Max Comtois -- Ryan Getzlaf -- Troy Terry
Sam Steel -- Isac Lundestrom -- Jakob Silfverberg
Nicolas Deslauriers -- Benoit-Olivier Groulx -- Derek Grant
Hampus Lindholm -- Jamie Drysdale
Cam Fowler -- Josh Manson
Josh Mahura -- Kevin Shattenkirk
John Gibson
Wild:
Kirill Kaprizov -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Mats Zuccarello
Jordan Greenway -- Ryan Hartman -- Marcus Foligno
Victor Rask -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Kevin Fiala
Brandon Duhaime -- Nico Sturm -- Nick Bjugstad
Alex Goligoski -- Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin -- Matt Dumba
Jon Merrill -- Dmitry Kulikov
Cam Talbot
Statistical leaders
Ducks:
Points: Kevin Shattenkirk -- 6
Goals: Kevin Shattenkirk -- 3
Assists: Jakob Silfverberg -- 5
TOI: Cam Fowler -- 21:55
Goalie: John Gibson -- 2-1-0, 2.31 GAA, .932 save percentage
Wild:
Points: Mats Zuccarello -- 5
Goals: Joel Eriksson Ek -- 3
Assists: Kirill Kaprizov -- 5
TOI: Jonas Brodin -- 23:03
Goalie: Cam Talbot -- 3-0-0, 2.65 GAA, .911 save percentage
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Anaheim Ducks - Minnesota Wild prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
