Two sides nursing fresh wounds meet at Honda Center on Monday afternoon when the Anaheim Ducks host the Ottawa Senators, with the puck dropping at 12:00 pm AEDT. The Ducks are anchored to the bottom third of the ladder after a 6–7 home loss to Buffalo on Friday, their second straight defeat at Honda Center and fifth in their last five overall. Ottawa's road trip hasn't gone to script either — they fell 5–6 to the Kings on Friday after a 1–4 hiding in Vegas two nights prior — but their 8-5-1 record still puts them comfortably in the playoff hunt, eight ladder spots clear of Anaheim's 5-7-1 mark.
The Senators' offence has been the story of their season: Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson have eight goals apiece, and Ottawa's averaging four goals per game across their last five. The Ducks have leaked goals at an alarming rate — 4.8 per game over the same stretch — and sit 26th in the league with a .862 save percentage. That defensive fragility makes this a live chance for the visitors to arrest their road form, even after back-to-back away losses.
Who wins at Honda Center?
Anaheim's season has been defined by one-goal heartbreak: four of their last five results have been decided by a single goal, including both recent home defeats. They've won just once in that span — a 5–4 road result against Philadelphia on the 25th of October — and coming off consecutive home losses to Vancouver and Buffalo, the Ducks are yet to find any defensive rhythm. Leo Carlsson leads the club with 18 points but only four goals; Beckett Sennecke has the finishing touch with eight tallies, yet the goals-against column tells the real story. Anaheim are conceding 3.85 per game and their expected goals-against sits at 28.9 through 13 games, numbers that leave little margin when the offence sputters.
Ottawa sit tenth in the league and fourth in the Atlantic, a respectable perch built on elite finishing from Stützle and Batherson. The pair have combined for 16 goals and 35 points, giving the Senators a genuine top-six threat. Their road record has wobbled lately — three straight away losses — but two of those were one-goal affairs and the underlying numbers remain sound. Ottawa average four goals per game in their last five and allow 4.2, a marginally better defensive rate than Anaheim's 4.8. The Senators' .884 save percentage ranks comfortably ahead of the Ducks', and their penalty kill sits just above 76 per cent compared to Anaheim's 75.
The teams have no recent head-to-head history in the pack, so this one comes down to current form and roster strength. Ottawa's superior ladder position, better goaltending, and deeper offensive weapons make them the logical pick, even on the road. The market has them at shorter odds, and for good reason — this shapes as a get-well game for a Senators outfit that's better than their last three results suggest. Our nhl predictions lean toward the visitors to snap their road skid and expose Anaheim's porous defence.
Tipped at $1.70 · . Opinion, not a guarantee. Gamble responsibly — 18+.
Head-to-head context
Season and last-five scoring — context for the match-winner market.
Leading scorers
Season goals and assists.
Anaheim Ducks
| Player | G-A |
|---|---|
| Leo CarlssonC | 4G 17A |
| Jackson LaCombeD | 1G 14A |
| Beckett SenneckeF | 8G 4A |
Ottawa Senators
| Player | G-A |
|---|---|
| Tim StützleLW | 9G 12A |
| Drake BathersonC | 9G 9A |
| Shane PintoC | 5G 6A |
Totals yarn: high-scoring affair on the cards?
With no total market on the board for this one, punters will need to look elsewhere for variety, but the underlying numbers tell a compelling story anyway. Both sides have been involved in shootouts lately: Anaheim's last two home games finished 5–6 and 6–7, while Ottawa's recent road outings produced 5–6 and 1–4 scorelines. Across their last five overall, the Ducks are averaging 3.8 goals for and 4.8 against; Ottawa sit at four goals for and 4.2 against. If those rates hold, we're looking at a combined tally well into double figures, the sort of end-to-end affair that makes for compelling viewing even without a market to back.
The selection
Ottawa's class and goaltending edge should be enough to get the job done at Honda Center, even after a tough California road stretch. Anaheim's defensive leaks and thin home form — zero wins in their last two at the venue — leave them vulnerable to a Senators side that can score in bunches. The visitors have the better roster, the better numbers between the pipes, and the motivation to salvage something from this trip. We're backing Ottawa to collect two points and steady the ship before heading home.