Match Facts
MatchupDetailTeamsChicago Blackhawks at Anaheim DucksDateSunday (regular-season matchup)VenueHonda Center, AnaheimSchedule spotDucks finish a heavy home stretch before a five-game road trip; Blackhawks close a four-game West Coast swingRecent formDucks 6-4-0 over their last 10, 10-4-0 at home; Blackhawks coming off a 6-0 loss after a 2-1 win in Los Angeles
Line and Odds
MarketNumberNotesMoneylineDucks as home favoriteAnaheim owns one of the best home records in the league and has more scoring depth right now.Puck lineDucks -1.5 plus money rangeChicago’s inconsistency and back-to-back fatigue can open the door for a margin, but Bedard volatility cuts both ways.TotalAround 6 to 6.5Ducks’ home scoring potential vs. Blackhawks’ defensive lapses, but both just suffered ugly offensive games recently.
Before this goes live, match the table to the current board on the live NHL odds and scores page so the preview aligns with what readers see when they shop lines.
Movement Matchup
Anaheim’s home profile and Chicago’s 6-0 loss in Los Angeles set the baseline: the Ducks should open as a clear but not overwhelming home favorite. Anaheim is 10-4-0 in its own building and one of only a few teams already in double digits in home wins. That alone commands respect. Add in the fact that the Blackhawks are on a back-to-back to close a long West Coast trip, and early money is likely to shade toward the Ducks.
The counterweight is Chicago’s recent win over these same Ducks at the end of its last homestand. The Blackhawks snapped a five-game skid with a 5-3 home victory in which Connor Bedard took over late and finished with two goals and four points. Any bettors who believe that matchup exposed exploitable flaws in Anaheim’s structure may be inclined to take a plus price again if the market pushes too far.
Most of the real movement will likely hinge on starting goalie confirmations and how much the market penalizes Chicago’s energy level. Spencer Knight just took six against him with three goals allowed in each of the final two periods, and the Blackhawks now face a young, fast Ducks lineup with confidence at home. If word leaks of lineup tweaks or a different starter in net, prices could nudge in either direction, but large swings are unlikely without surprise injury news.
Breakdown Injury Reports
Anaheim Ducks injury report
PlayerStatusNoteBeckett SenneckeActiveRed-hot rookie with points in nine of the last 10 games and the late tying goal vs Washington.Mason McTavishActiveComing off the shootout winner against the Capitals; continues to be a key offensive piece.Other core piecesNo new issues in this noteConfirm day-of for any late scratches, but nothing in this report signals a major absence.
Chicago Blackhawks injury report
PlayerStatusNoteSpencer KnightActive, likely tired after heavy workloadAllowed six goals in Los Angeles, three in each of the final two periods; coaching staff could consider a change or shorter leash.Connor BedardActiveTied for third in the league in goals and fourth in points; two goals and four points vs Ducks in the last meeting.Other regularsMonitoring onlyNo new injuries cited here; main concern is collective fatigue at the end of a long trip.
Anaheim Ducks recent performance
Anaheim’s homestand has been productive but uneven. The Ducks have played eight of their last 10 games at home and are 6-4-0 in that stretch, yet they have managed to win consecutive games only once. They are still chasing the offensive rhythm they showed during a six-game winning streak from late October into early November when they averaged 5.7 goals per contest. Since then, over 13 games, they have dropped to 2.8 goals per game and have been shut out twice.
Even with the offensive regression, the Ducks remain one of the better home teams in the league at 10-4-0 in Anaheim. The last two outings perfectly illustrate the volatility. A 7-0 home embarrassment to the Utah Mammoth was followed by a 4-3 shootout win over the red-hot Washington Capitals, ending their six-game winning streak. That ability to respond immediately after a humiliation suggests some mental resilience in a young locker room.
Beckett Sennecke has become the face of this current push. The 19-year-old, taken third overall in the 2024 draft, scored the tying goal with just over two minutes remaining against Washington and now has points in nine of his last 10 games. He leads all rookies with 22 points on eight goals and 14 assists. Joel Quenneville praised his evasiveness and reach, noting that defenders still struggle to read his next move and that he often wriggles free in situations where it looks like he has been contained. With Mason McTavish and Troy Terry contributing in the shootout against the Capitals, Anaheim’s blend of young talent and improving finishing gives them the kind of offensive ceiling that regularly features in NHL picks when they are at home.
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Chicago Blackhawks recent performance
Chicago has shown flashes of progress on this West Coast trip but continues to struggle with consistency and energy management. The Blackhawks opened the swing with a 4-3 shootout loss in Vegas, then split two games against the Kings, including a 2-1 win in Los Angeles that briefly suggested a defensive breakthrough. The follow-up was brutal: a 6-0 defeat in the rematch where Spencer Knight was shelled for three goals in each of the final two periods.
Connor Murphy captured the psychological challenge well. On the road, when the home team looks fresher and the building tilts against you, players can feel they must be at their absolute best to compete. He stressed that teams can still win with their “B game” and that recognizing that reality is part of becoming more composed under pressure and fatigue. That is exactly the kind of lesson a young core has to absorb if it is going to compete in spots like a quick turnaround in Anaheim.
The good news for Chicago is that this group has already proven capable of solving the Ducks once. In their last meeting, a 5-3 home win to close a homestand, Bedard dominated with two goals and four points, including the third-period tally that put them ahead for good. He now sits tied for third in the league in goals and fourth in points, and remains the kind of singular offensive threat who can swing both games and betting lines by himself. For fans and bettors following the longer-term outlook for a rebuilding team centered around a generational scorer, pieces like the NHL Central Division odds and predictions offer useful context on how quickly the Blackhawks might climb the standings when the rest of the roster catches up.
Betting Insights and Trends
This matchup features two clubs that can look wildly different from night to night. Anaheim has one of the strongest home records in the league and a roster brimming with young skill, but the gap between their best and worst is still wide, as the back-to-back 7-0 loss and 4-3 win underscore. The Ducks’ offense has cooled from its six-game heater, yet with Sennecke surging and the power play capable of spikes, they retain a higher immediate scoring ceiling than their raw averages suggest.
Chicago’s variability comes from youth, road fatigue and reliance on Bedard to change games. When he is on and the team stays compact defensively, as in the 2-1 win in Los Angeles and the 5-3 victory over Anaheim last weekend, the Blackhawks can punch above their record and punish sloppy opponents. When structure slips and the goaltending falters, as in the 6-0 loss to the Kings, things can unravel quickly.
From a totals perspective, the previous 5-3 meeting, the Ducks’ historical home scoring run and Chicago’s defensive blow-up in Los Angeles push this matchup toward the higher side of typical NHL numbers. At the same time, the fatigue factor at the end of a trip and the possibility of tightened systems after ugly losses can introduce downside volatility. Situations like this, with contrasting home-road strength and recent blowouts on both sides, are exactly the type of spots that benefit from applying the concepts in a dedicated NHL betting guide, especially around schedule analysis, regression and youth-driven volatility.
Best Bets and Prediction
Projected final score: Ducks 4, Blackhawks 2
A reasonable expectation is a game where Anaheim’s home form, fresher legs and offensive upside gradually separate them from a Chicago team that is grinding through travel and a quick turnaround after being heavily outplayed. The Ducks’ ability to generate pressure from their young core, with Sennecke driving play and McTavish and Terry supporting, should create sustained stretches of zone time and chances.
Chicago’s path to staying inside that kind of scoreline runs through Bedard producing another multi-point game and the team tightening its defensive structure in front of whichever goaltender gets the nod. Even with those adjustments, the combination of travel fatigue, recent heavy minutes and Anaheim’s home comfort suggests the Ducks have the better chance to dictate the pace over 60 minutes and pull away by a multi-goal margin, even if it takes an empty-netter to land there.
Handicapper section
For handicappers building a card, this matchup offers a fairly clear framework. Anaheim checks the boxes you want in a home favorite: strong record in their own building, an emerging offensive driver in Sennecke, depth contributions from players like McTavish and Terry, and evidence that they can respond positively after a bad loss. Their only real drawback is volatility, which is baked into any young, high-upside roster.
Chicago, with Bedard at the center of everything, is still a team you selectively back rather than rely on nightly. The Blackhawks showed what their ceiling looks like when he dominates and the structure holds in the last Ducks meeting and the 2-1 win in Los Angeles. They also showed how quickly things can collapse in the 6-0 loss that followed. At the tail end of a road trip, facing a fast team in a tough building, the burden of proof is on them.
In a full slate, Anaheim profiles as a logical side to consider at the right number, potentially used as part of a broader parlay or as a straight play if the moneyline is reasonable relative to their home edge. Totals decisions should factor in both the previous 5-3 result and the emotional bounce-back angles after each team’s recent blowouts. Applying disciplined process, leaning on tools like the NHL picks page and the broader betting guide, is the best way to turn this stylistically appealing matchup into a well-structured wager instead of an emotional reaction to the most recent scoreline.