Anaheim keeps scoring enough to make its defensive problems survivable. The Ducks have scored at least five goals in seven straight games, yet that run includes two losses and only two games in which they allowed fewer than four. Pittsburgh arrives with its own question: can a five-goal breakthrough become something more lasting? This matchup brings together a sustained scoring surge and a team trying to build on one, with neither defense offering much reassurance.
Seven big scoring nights, four straight wins
The Ducks’ recent results show why their offense and their winning streak deserve separate attention. They lost 6-5 to Vancouver and 7-6 to Buffalo before winning their next four. Scoring was already there; getting enough stops to protect it has been the harder part.
Even the winning streak hasn’t produced much breathing room. Anaheim beat Ottawa 6-3, Vancouver 5-4, Edmonton 5-4 and Calgary 5-3. Two of those four opponents reached four goals and pushed the Ducks into a one-goal finish. That’s a narrower cushion than the repeated five-goal performances might suggest.
In the 5-3 win at Calgary, AP reported that Cutter Gauthier scored the winner with 1:34 left, extending his goal streak to five games. Anaheim also needed Ville Husso to stop all 10 shots in relief after Lukas Dostal allowed three on 11. The comeback captured both sides of the Ducks’ recent hockey: dangerous scoring and a difficult night in their own end.
Pittsburgh has a response to build on
The Penguins ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win at Los Angeles. AP reported that Pittsburgh paired Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on its top line to spark the offense. Tommy Novak scored twice early, while Crosby added two goals, including an empty-netter. That gives Pittsburgh a concrete adjustment to build around, though one win doesn’t establish a turnaround.
The Penguins are still 3-7 over their last 10 games this season. Our team grades offer a reason to take their attack seriously anyway: Pittsburgh carries a B on offense against Anaheim’s C- defense. Anaheim’s offense grades B-, while Pittsburgh’s defense is a C. That gives Pittsburgh an attacking case against the Ducks, even with Anaheim carrying the more sustained scoring run.
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The scoring threshold deserves its own look
DraftKings’ moneyline prices put Anaheim at -120 and Pittsburgh at +100, with a total of 6.5. The Ducks’ four straight wins explain the appeal of the home team, but their recent concessions matter when assessing that price. Pittsburgh’s breakthrough is also worth separating from its longer losing stretch.
Anaheim’s last seven games all went over, six against totals of 6.5 and one against 5.5. Pittsburgh’s last 10 produced seven overs and three unders, all against 6.5. Pittsburgh scored only twice in four of those ten games, so opponent scoring has also shaped that record. Anaheim’s run has been driven by repeated big nights of its own; whether Pittsburgh can follow its latest win with another productive attack is a separate part of the total question.
The projected goalie matchup is Arturs Silovs for Pittsburgh against Laurent Brossoit for Anaheim, with neither confirmed. Silovs has a .888 save percentage across his last five starts; Brossoit has .849 across three starts. Those are small samples, and neither goalie played his team’s latest game. Pittsburgh used Sergei Murashov in its win, while Anaheim used Dostal and Husso.
Anaheim’s challenge is to turn its scoring into a more comfortable game. Pittsburgh’s is to make its offensive response repeatable. Watch whether the Ducks can protect their scoring with stops, or whether the Penguins can turn those defensive openings into a second strong night.
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