Friday night in Anaheim, the Detroit Red Wings (7-7-1) will look to build on the momentum of Wednesday’s overtime victory in Pittsburgh and get their California road trip off to a positive start against a struggling Ducks team (5-8-2).
Last year, the Red Wings’ trek through California went in the opposite direction, beginning in the Bay Area with a 5-3 win over the Sharks in San Jose, before heading south for a shootout win over the Kings in Los Angeles, then wrapping up with a 3-2 win in Anaheim. The success of that trip opened the new year for Detroit and helped launch the Red Wings into a 7-2-2 month of January. With two of the three California teams dwelling in the league’s cellar, Detroit will look for a similar momentum boost from this year’s tour of the Golden State.
Youthful Ducks Still Searching for Consistency
Entering the evening at 5-8-2, the Anaheim Ducks enter tonight’s game as the worst team in the Western Conference by raw points, though they are better than the Sharks, Predators, and Blackhawks by points percentage. Anaheim is 1-4-0 in the month of November and last played Wednesday night, losing 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights. During those five November games, the Ducks have averaged just 2.2 goals.
Winger Troy Terry is back in a familiar place at the top of Anaheim’s scoring table, pacing his team with five goals and six assists for 11 points in 15 games. Young Leo Carlsson—whom the Ducks selected second overall in the 2023 NHL Draft—is off to a commendable if not scorching start with five goals and two assists in his first 15 games.
Elsewhere amongst Anaheim’s youngsters, there is some cause for concern. Cutter Gauthier—a Boston College product selected fifth in the 2022 Draft, whom the Ducks acquired via a high profile prospect swap with the Philadelphia Flyers—has five assists but is still searching for his first goal. More alarmingly, Trevor Zegras—who was supposed to enjoy a bounce-back campaign after injuries derailed his 2023-24 season—has just one goal and two assists in 15 games. That’s a far cry from the production Anaheim needs from a player the NHL knows to be electrifying but has yet to find consistent production in his game.
In net, Lukas Dostal—a 2018 third round pick by the Ducks—has firmly supplanted John Gibson as his team’s number one option in net. Dostal’s start is arguably the most encouraging data point to glean from what’s been a difficult season to date. In 12 games, Dostal only has a 4-6-2 record, but his .922 save percentage and 2.75 goals against average are impressive, particularly considering the struggling team in front of him.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game (a 10 PM start) will be on its usual television home of FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. It will also be broadcast on its usual radio home of 97.1 The Ticket. For out-of-market fans, it will be available on ESPN+ & Hulu.
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