The Anaheim Ducks have confirmed their starting goalie for tonight’s matchup against the Nashville Predators, with two of the NHL’s hottest teams putting their winning streaks on the line.
Both teams enter the matchup riding five-game winning streaks, the longest currently in the NHL, meaning one team will see its streak come to an end tonight.
Coming off two days’ rest, the Ducks are electing to ride the hot hand of Laurent Brossoit, per Eric Stephens of The Athletic.
Anaheim rolls into the matchup at home with a 10-7-1 record on the season, currently sitting third in the Pacific and playing its best hockey of the year.
In the other Western Conference division, Nashville has worked its way to a 9-4-5 record in the Central Division, starting to mesh its veteran core of forwards.
With both streaks on the line, the Ducks are hoping to use their rest advantage to make it six in a row tonight in front of a home crowd.
The Ducks’ Winning Streak
The Ducks have not lost a game in November this year, winning all five contests in regulation during their hot streak.
In those five games, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, and Beckett Sennecke have all caught fire offensively, each tallying double-digit points.
Gauthier has been the most dominant recently, earning NHL First Star of the Week honors on Monday after tallying two hat tricks and three game-winning goals last week.
At just 22 years old, Gauthier has been a problem for opposing teams during his recent tear, notching 13 points, including 11 goals and 2 assists for Anaheim during its streak.
Veteran center Mikael Granlund and 20-year-old Beckett Sennecke have helped bring out the best in Gauthier on the second line.
Granlund has 9 assists, while Sennecke has 8 over the last five games, with both players also notching a pair of goals.
While the streak has been an impressive team effort, having three players on the second line producing at that level has been a major reason for Anaheim’s success.
The Matchup Against Nashville
In tonight’s battle of streaks, Anaheim will need the same second-line efficiency it has been getting, along with even more help from the rest of the lineup.
Over the Ducks’ last five wins, they have scored at least five goals in each game.
On the other side of the puck, Nashville has allowed just 1.6 goals per game during its streak.
The Predators will be attempting to slow down the Ducks as much as possible, and it will be crucial for Anaheim to keep its offense rolling in the matchup.
The Ducks have the rest advantage, as they have been off since Sunday night’s win over Pittsburgh, while Nashville is traveling to Anaheim after playing Los Angeles on a back-to-back.
Fast breaks, quick changes, and winning the shots-on-goal battle will be very important for Anaheim as it looks to make it six straight.
Despite Brossoit’s 4-0-0 record, he and the defense will need to tighten things up, as the Ducks have allowed an average of 3.26 goals per game in his starts this year.
Here are the projected lines for tonight’s matchup:
Alex Killorn – Leo Carlsson – Judd Caulfield
Cutter Gauthier – Mikael Granlund – Beckett Sennecke
Nikita Nesterenko – Tim Washe – Troy Terry
Jeff Malott – Roger McQueen – Sam Colangelo
Jackson LaCombe – Drew Helleson
Pavel Mintyukov – Noah Warren
Travis Mitchell – Tristan Luneau
Laurent Brossoit
Ville Husso
Injured: A.J. Greer (upper body), Ian Moore (lower body), Ryan Poehling (MCL)
Puck drop is at 10 p.m. ET as both Western Conference powerhouses battle to see who can make it six straight victories.
Ducks Reveal Starting Goalie Ahead of Showdown Between the Two Hottest NHL Teams