PREMIUM
GAME OF THE WEEK (Rogers' 10* NHL!) >> SIZZLING 15-5 L20 NHL Sides!
(NHL) Anaheim vs. St. Louis,
Money Line: -145.00 St. Louis (Home)
Result: Loss
Money Line: -145.00 St. Louis (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The 13-11-7 Anaheim Ducks head out on a six-game road trip that will carry them into the Christmas break. Coming off a 2-0-1 homestand, the Ducks, will face five teams from the Metropolitan Division after opening the road trip against the Western Conference leading St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. The Ducks have just 33 points, leaving them out of a playoff position in the Western Conference (currently fifth in the Pacific Division). Meanwhile, the 21-9-2 Blues not only lead the Central Division but their 44 points is tops in the West, bettered by only the Tampa Bay Lightning's 46 points (Atlantic Division), in the entire NHL
Anaheim: The Ducks have been ravaged by injuries this year but did welcome back captain Ryan Getzlaf from a 19-game absence on Monday. However, in keeping with the team's bad luck, leading scorer Corey Perry ( 22 points, including six goals) got hurt in the same game. "It's just hard watching your teammates go down but you have to continue to improve and push forward," Ducks forward Cam Fowler said. "This is a big part of our schedule, this road trip coming up. We're going to learn a lot about ourselves." Perry is just the latest blow for Anaheim and his injured lower right leg will keep him sidelined on a week-to-week basis. In a bit of good news, head coach Randy Carlyle did note that center Ryan Kesler, who has yet to play this season, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm will accompany the team on the road trip. This will be the Ducks' second game in St. Louis in a little more than two weeks. They beat the Blues 3-2 on Nov. 29.
St. Louis: The Blues were relatively healthy in that Nov. 29 game against the Ducks but they are now dealing with multiple missing players as well. Forward Jaden Schwartz 14 goals and 21 assists makes him the team's second-leading scorer) is out for six weeks with an ankle injury, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is out for at least a week with a lower-body injury and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester also did not play Tuesday and his status for Thursday will be determined after the Blues' morning skate. "You wish they were in your lineup but that's the way it goes," netminder Jake Allen said. "We can't feel sorry for ourselves and people won't feel sorry for us because we're missing three of our top players." Speaking of Allen, he took the loss in the Nov. 29 setback to the Ducks but he is 5-2-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average versus Anaheim in his career.
The pick: The Ducks had their struggles on a recent six-game trip, going 1-2-3 from Nov. 25-Dec. 5, and now head out on another another one. The timing is not good, as the Blues are coming off a 3-0 shutout home loss to the Lightning (a showdown of the NHL's top-two teams in points). Expect St. Louis to bounce back and note that after the Blues were shut out by the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 2, they defeated Toronto 6-4 in their next game. They followed up their second shutout of the season (to Nashville on Nov. 24) with a 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Think six goals again will be enough to best the Ducks? Make St. Louis a 10* play.
Anaheim: The Ducks have been ravaged by injuries this year but did welcome back captain Ryan Getzlaf from a 19-game absence on Monday. However, in keeping with the team's bad luck, leading scorer Corey Perry ( 22 points, including six goals) got hurt in the same game. "It's just hard watching your teammates go down but you have to continue to improve and push forward," Ducks forward Cam Fowler said. "This is a big part of our schedule, this road trip coming up. We're going to learn a lot about ourselves." Perry is just the latest blow for Anaheim and his injured lower right leg will keep him sidelined on a week-to-week basis. In a bit of good news, head coach Randy Carlyle did note that center Ryan Kesler, who has yet to play this season, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm will accompany the team on the road trip. This will be the Ducks' second game in St. Louis in a little more than two weeks. They beat the Blues 3-2 on Nov. 29.
St. Louis: The Blues were relatively healthy in that Nov. 29 game against the Ducks but they are now dealing with multiple missing players as well. Forward Jaden Schwartz 14 goals and 21 assists makes him the team's second-leading scorer) is out for six weeks with an ankle injury, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is out for at least a week with a lower-body injury and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester also did not play Tuesday and his status for Thursday will be determined after the Blues' morning skate. "You wish they were in your lineup but that's the way it goes," netminder Jake Allen said. "We can't feel sorry for ourselves and people won't feel sorry for us because we're missing three of our top players." Speaking of Allen, he took the loss in the Nov. 29 setback to the Ducks but he is 5-2-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average versus Anaheim in his career.
The pick: The Ducks had their struggles on a recent six-game trip, going 1-2-3 from Nov. 25-Dec. 5, and now head out on another another one. The timing is not good, as the Blues are coming off a 3-0 shutout home loss to the Lightning (a showdown of the NHL's top-two teams in points). Expect St. Louis to bounce back and note that after the Blues were shut out by the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 2, they defeated Toronto 6-4 in their next game. They followed up their second shutout of the season (to Nashville on Nov. 24) with a 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Think six goals again will be enough to best the Ducks? Make St. Louis a 10* play.
