Anaheim has turned 10 of its last 12 power plays into goals over three games, and Cutter Gauthier has back-to-back hat tricks. Even that much offense has left the Ducks with some uncomfortable finishes. Edmonton presents a different test Thursday. The Oilers have been getting saves as well as goals, making Anaheim’s play between power plays a useful place to watch.
Gauthier has made penalties expensive
The Ducks went 3-for-3 on the power play in their 5–4 win at Vancouver. Two of Gauthier’s goals came with the advantage, Mikael Granlund added a goal and two assists, and Beckett Sennecke had four assists. Gauthier scored eight times in three games after going nine without a goal. Edmonton has an immediate reason to stay out of the box.
Our team projections put Anaheim and Edmonton at about three power-play opportunities apiece, with shots close as well, roughly 30 for the Ducks and 29 for the Oilers. At Thursday morning’s snapshot, DraftKings had Anaheim at +154 and Edmonton at -185. The Ducks have shown how a productive power play can help them compete. Finding goals at even strength would give them another way to challenge the favorite if Edmonton limits those opportunities.
Edmonton has saves and several scoring threats
Tristan Jarry made 31 saves in Edmonton’s 4–3 shootout loss at New Jersey. The Devils ended his shutout streak after more than seven periods, while Connor McDavid extended his season-opening assist streak to 16 games. Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins supplied Edmonton’s goals. The Oilers kept getting production from several players even on the night their three-game winning streak ended.
Tristan Jarry and Lukas Dostal are listed as possible starters for Edmonton and Anaheim, respectively, with neither confirmed. Jarry stopped 94.2% of shots across four recent appearances with complete statistics. Dostal stopped 86.4% across his last five. If they start, those recent results give Edmonton a way to withstand Anaheim’s shots and give its scorers time to respond.
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The minutes between power plays matter at 6.5
Anaheim’s last five games went over their respective totals. Thursday’s 6.5 puts that scoring run against a counterweight in Jarry’s recent saves. Vancouver cut a three-goal deficit to one despite Anaheim’s perfect power play, so the Ducks have also shown how much offense they can need just to protect a lead.
If Edmonton stays out of the box and Jarry starts and maintains his form, Anaheim will need more at even strength to keep scoring at its recent pace. If Gauthier’s unit gets room to work again, the Ducks can make the Oilers chase. Watch whether Anaheim can create dangerous chances while both teams have five skaters. That would make its upset chance less dependent on another exceptional power-play night and give the total another source of scoring.
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