Face-off: 2200 ET, 06/04/2022
Arena: Honda Center
Calgary can close in on a Pacific Division title triumph by making it three wins out of four games against Anaheim this season.
The Ducks are out of play-off contention and just one victory in their last 13 outings highlights why the Flames are hot favourites to prevail at Honda Center.
We’re going with the visitors to oblige by exactly three goals at 4.5 in our Anaheim Ducks vs Calgary Flames predictions.
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Anaheim Ducks Odds
Anaheim ended an 11-match winless run in fine style when blitzing Arizona 5-0 last week but were brought back down to earth with a bump by Sunday’s 6-1 loss to Edmonton here.
Zach Aston-Reese scored and John Gibson made 40 saves but there was little else to shout about as the Ducks missed leading marksman Troy Terry with a facial injury.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf has since announced he will retire at the end of the season, having skippered the team for more than a decade.
With two Olympic gold medals and a Stanley Cup triumph on his CV, the 36-year-old will leave a huge hole to fill.
“It’s been an honour to play in the NHL and spend my entire professional career with one organisation,” said Getzlaf.
Owners Henry and Susan Samueli added: “We are so proud of everything Ryan has accomplished in an amazing 17 years playing for the Ducks.
“You’ve been our leader, our soul and our captain, leaving an indelible mark on our franchise that Ducks fans around the world will never forget.”
Getzlaf will want to go out on a high but there is still time to find a better opportunity to mark his departure.
For now, we like Anaheim Ducks vs Calgary Flames odds.
Calgary Flames Odds
Calgary were relieved to end a run of three narrow defeats by edging out potential challengers Los Angeles 3-2 on the road on Monday.
Johnny Gaudreau had two goals and an assist while Elias Lindholm also netted as the Flames began a four-game trip with an important victory.
“Yeah, a big one for us to start the trip off the right way,” commented Gaudreau, who has registered 34 goals and 95 points this term.
“We didn’t play the best game the last time we played LA, so we knew we had a lot better in us.”
Coach Darryl Sutter added: “Johnny was on fire. He was awesome. He’s been really good lately and hopefully that will get the line going.”
Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk have also enjoyed prolific campaigns, plus Ryan Carpenter is looking like a shrewd recent recruit from Chicago.
Calgary are 81-45 up in terms of first-period goals while Anaheim are 60-63 down, so there could be lots of early action.
Let’s add 8.0 for the Flames to win P1 and both teams to score in the opening 20 minutes to our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
ANAHEIM 1-6 Edmonton
Los Angeles 2-3 CALGARY
Season head-to-head: Calgary 6-2 Anaheim, Anaheim 3-4 Calgary, Calgary 2-3 Anaheim
