The Anaheim Ducks continue their road trip tonight in New Jersey against the New Jersey Devils. The Ducks, now 4-5-0, have had a tough last two weeks, having lost five of their last seven games - including each of their last four.
First line center Leo Carlsson has 11 points in nine games so far, including two assists in their most recent loss to the New York Islanders. Carlsson leads the team with nine assists.
Right winger Beckett Sennecke leads the team with five goals.
The Ducks' two net minders have struggled thus far, as starting goaltender Lukas Dostal has a .881 save percentage and backup goaltender Ville Husso has a .885 save percentage. Husso is likely to start in net tonight. He is 1-1-0 this season while allowing 3.09 goals per game.
The Devils are 5-4-0 with a 4-2-0 record at home.
Center Jack Hughes leads the team with nine points and seven assists so far. Jesper Bratt and Arseny Gritsyuk round out Hughes' line, putting up seven points and six points respectively.
Second line center Nico Hischier leads the team with four goals.
Backup goaltender Nico Daws is projected to start in net tonight. Daws is 1-2-0 with a .857 save percentage while allowing 3.38 goals per game.
First Pick: Cutter Gauthier over 3.5 shots
Rundown: Gauthier averages 3.5 shots per game this season. However, he's eclipsed this mark in five of eight games played so far. After a 6-day break in which he was sidelined with an upper body injury in early October, Gauthier put up nine shots in two games. Gauthier only managed two shots in Tuesday's loss to the Islanders, however the Ducks were blitzed and playing from behind the majority of the game.
Second Pick: Leo Carlsson over 0.5 points
Rundown: Carlsson is on pace for 1.22 points per game this season - which would be 102 points through 84 games. This line is very small for a player of that caliber and pace. For reference - Hughes' line is at 1.5 points per game. Carlsson disappeared a few games prior to Tuesday's two-point performance. However, that is seemingly the exception and nothing the expectation.