Faceoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT)
Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
TV/Streaming: KTTV, Victory+, SNP, ESPN+
2025-26 NHL Regular Season – Pacific Division Mismatch (Canucks Tanking; Ducks Playoff Push)
Team Records & Standings Context
The Canucks are dead last in the Pacific Division (8th) and 16th in the Western Conference with just 52 points. Their 23-48-8 record includes a dismal 14-21-3 road mark, and they have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for weeks. This is a pure lottery-evaluation game for Vancouver as they look toward the 2026 draft.
The Ducks sit 2nd/3rd in the Pacific (roughly 7th-9th in the West) with 89 points and a strong 24-13-3 home record. They remain alive in the playoff hunt and can clinch a postseason berth with a win combined with favorable results elsewhere (e.g., losses by certain wild-card competitors). A regulation victory here would be huge for ending a seven-year playoff drought.
Recent Team Form
Canucks (last 10 games): 1-9-0 and coming off a 4-3 SO win at San Jose on April 11. They had lost four straight prior (including 1-4 at LA on April 9 and 1-2 vs. Vegas on April 7). Vancouver is scoring just 2.51 GPG while allowing 3.79, with a brutal 1-9-0 stretch showing little fight on the road.
Ducks (last 10 games): 4-6-0 but riding a modest bounce-back with a dominant 6-1 home win over San Jose on April 9. They endured a four-game skid (0-5 vs. Nashville on April 7, 3-5 vs. Calgary on April 4) before that outburst. Anaheim averages ~3.09 GPG and 3.21 GA/GP lately, with home games trending higher-event.
Injury Report
Canucks (depleted across the board):
Evander Kane (LW) – OUT (undisclosed/upper body; target April 14)
Thatcher Demko (G) – IR-LT (hip; out for season)
Filip Chytil (C) – IR (facial fracture; target April 16)
Derek Forbort (D) – IR-LT (undisclosed)
Kevin Lankinen (G) – DTD/OUT (upper body/illness)
Jonathan Lekkerimaki (RW) – OUT (long-term)
Multiple call-ups and depth pieces are filling the lineup; goaltending is especially thin.
Ducks (key pieces questionable but mostly healthy):
Radko Gudas (D) – DTD (lower body; progressing, possible today)
Cutter Gauthier (F) – DTD (upper body; missed recent games, questionable)
Jansen Harkins (F) – OUT (hand surgery; target April 28)
Petr Mrazek (G) – OUT (hip surgery; season)
Ducks expect to dress a near-full roster otherwise, with Lukas Dostal the clear starter.
Projected Lineups & Key Player Matchups
Canucks (projected, based on April 11 at SJS):
Forwards: Drew O’Connor–Elias Pettersson–Jake DeBrusk; Liam Öhgren–Marco Rossi–Brock Boeser; Max Sasson–Teddy Blueger–Linus Karlsson; Curtis Douglas–Aatu Räty–Nils Höglander
Defense: Zeev Buium–Filip Hronek; Marcus Pettersson–Tom Willander; Elias Pettersson–Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Goalies: Nikita Tolopilo (likely) / Jiri Patera
Key assets: Youth movement (Pettersson, Boeser, Öhgren) and whatever scoring they can generate in a low-motivation spot.
Ducks (projected):
Forwards: Chris Kreider–Leo Carlsson–Troy Terry; Alex Killorn–Mikael Granlund–Beckett Sennecke; (Gauthier if healthy)–Ryan Poehling–Jeffrey Viel; (depth including Mason McTavish)
Defense: Jackson LaCombe–Jacob Trouba; Pavel Mintyukov–John Carlson; (Gudas if healthy)–Ian Moore
Goalies: Lukas Dostal (expected) / Ville Husso
Key assets: Carlsson/Terry chemistry, Dostal’s reliability (.890+ SV% range), and veteran leadership in a must-win home game.
Notable Matchups:
Canucks’ young top-six vs. Ducks’ shutdown pairs and physical D.
Tolopilo vs. Dostal: Ducks’ goaltending edge is significant.
Special teams: Canucks ~15-18% PP / poor PK; Ducks opportunistic at home (projected ~24% PP advantage).
Series History
The 2025-26 season series stands at 2-1 in favor of Vancouver: Canucks won 5-4 at Anaheim (Nov. 26), 2-0 at home (Jan. 29); Ducks won 5-3 at Vancouver (Mar. 24). Games have been competitive but high-event; Anaheim has historically owned the all-time series, though this year’s matchups favored the road team until recently.
Betting Trends
Ducks: Strong home favorites (24-13-3); 4-1 in last 5 as home ML favorites.
Canucks: 1-9-0 last 10; road underdogs have covered +1.5 sporadically but rarely win outright.
Motivation/pace: Ducks 6-1 blowout in last home game; Canucks’ low-scoring road trend favors the Under.
Game Odds
Vancouver Canucks 6.5
Anaheim Ducks – 305
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Saturday, April 11, 2026
