Anaheim Ducks at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 12/23/2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

PPG Paints Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Anaheim Ducks head to PPG Paints Arena to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

Anaheim has a record of 15-13-8 this year and away from home they have a record of 7-6-5-4. They are 5th in the Pacific Division. They have tallied 97 goals and surrendered 108 goals for a point differential of -11. For the year they have an ATS mark of 14-21-0 and an over/under record of 12-22-0. Pittsburgh has a record of 18-15-3 including 11-5-1-0 on home ice this year. They are 6th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 104 goals and have given up 114 for a goal differential of -10. Their record against the spread is 17-18-0 while their over/under mark is 19-14-0.

Valuable Anaheim Ducks Betting Trends

The Anaheim Ducks are 14-21-0 straight up this year

The Anaheim Ducks are 12-22-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 17-18-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 19-14-0 against the over/under this season

Key Anaheim Ducks Injuries

12/14/17 LW Nick Ritchie Upper Body IR (12/08)
12/12/17 RW Corey Perry Leg IR (12/11)
12/01/17 LW Michael Liambas Upper Body IR (11/30)
10/22/17 RW Patrick Eaves Lower Body IR (10/14)
10/02/17 C Ryan Kesler Hip IR (10/03)

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/07/17 D Justin Schultz Lower Body IR (12/05)

Player Spotlight

Brandon Montour has scored 16 total points this year for the Ducks. He has 6 goals this season with 68 shots on net, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 10 assists on the year and averages 20.4 minutes played per contest. Rickard Rakell averages 19.7 minutes of ice time per game this season. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by tallying 8 goals on 85 attempts. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 21 points on the year. John Gibson has 10 wins and 11 losses this season in goal for the Ducks. He has 908 shots against him and he's surrendered 73 goals. He's made 835 stops for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has 38 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 15 goals this year with 135 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 23 assists on the year and averages 18.7 minutes played per contest. Sidney Crosby averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per contest. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 14 goals on 107 attempts. He has 19 assists, giving him a total of 33 points on the year. Tristan Jarry has 5 wins and 2 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 272 shots against him and he's given up 22 goals. He's made 250 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Ducks have 36 total points this year, which is 21st in the NHL. They've scored 92 goals while giving up 104 scores, which has them ranked 26th and 13th respectively. They have had 98 power play chances and scored 17 goals on those opportunities for a percentage of 17%. That is 21st in the league. The Ducks have given up 133 power play opportunities and surrendered 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, ranking them 6th when short-handed. They average 29 shots per contest and as a team shoot 9.02% for the year. They allow 35 shot attempts to their opposition per game and have a team save percentage of 92%, which is 4th in the league.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins are 20th in the league with a total of 37 points this season. They have 31 power play goals on 128 chances for a percentage of 24%. That is 4th in the NHL. They've given up 130 power play opportunities and surrendered 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, ranking 18th overall. As a team, the Penguins are 17th with a total of 101 goals scored while they've given up 112 goals this season, ranking 6th in goals against. They average 35 shots per game and have a team shooting percentage of 8.27%. As a unit they give up 31 shots per contest and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them 25th overall in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Anaheim is 30th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 46.1%, as they've attempted 1,989 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,321 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 45.8% as they have 1,498 attempts while they have given up 1,771 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 31st in the league. The Ducks start possessions in the offensive zone 45.8% of the time, which is 28th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 54.2% for the season. That is 2nd overall in the NHL. They have 1,134 face-off wins compared to 1,093 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.9%. That ranks them 8th in the league. On defense Anaheim has 844 hits and they have blocked 550 shots from the opposition, putting them 3rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins are 5th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 54% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 46% for the season, which is 25th in the NHL. They have 1,139 face-off wins compared to 1,128 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.2%. That is 19th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 839 hits and they have blocked 539 shots from the opposition, which is 6th in the league. Pittsburgh is 8th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 52.2% as they've attempted 2,227 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,041 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 53.3% ranks 3rd as they have 1,712 attempts while they have given up 1,502 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Ducks/Penguins NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Anaheim

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