Anaheim vs Vancouver Prediction 28 October 2026

The trip to Philadelphia finally brought Anaheim two points. Before that, Joel Quenneville’s side had lost five straight games, all in regulation. The clash with the Flyers could have ended in another setback: the Ducks trailed by two goals, allowed 32 shots compared to their own 26, and conceded twice while shorthanded. To make matters worse, the hosts scored yet another goal while down a man themselves. Discipline issues haven’t gone away, but the offense managed to make up for them this time. In their previous outing against the Rangers, things looked different: Anaheim trailed in expected goals (3.3 to 4.5), converted just 6.5% of their shots, and Ville Husso managed an 83% save rate. Now, the Ducks have five wins from 11 games, but their lineup remains depleted by injuries to Trevor Moore, Troy Terry, Ryan Poehling, and Pavel Mintyukov.

In Philadelphia, everything started with power-play goals from Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone. The Flyers converted on the man advantage twice in just 63 seconds. Anaheim clawed their way back into it in the second period: first Leo Carlsson cut the deficit, then A.J. Greer tied it up. After conceding another shorthanded goal, the Ducks responded once again-this time through Judd Caulfield. Early in the third period, Tristan Luneau gave the visitors their first lead of the night. Soon after, Beckett Sennecke snapped Anaheim’s run of 14 unsuccessful power plays. Philadelphia pulled one back, but Anaheim held on for a 5-4 win. Luneau finished with a goal and two assists-his first ever three-point game in the NHL. Lukas Dostal made 28 saves. After the game, Quenneville admitted that the early penalty and having to play three-on-five put his team under real pressure, but Carlsson’s first goal proved to be the turning point.

Ten straight defeats - Vancouver are still stuck in their toughest stretch of the season. Manny Malhotra’s side sit bottom of the Western Conference, and their recent homestand has only compounded their struggles. The Canucks fell 3-6 to Carolina, conceding 44 shots while managing just 17 of their own. Their clash with Detroit also got off to a disastrous start, with three goals allowed in the opening nine minutes forcing the Canadians to chase the game from the outset. Against Minnesota, it was the opposite story - a promising start gave way to a second-period collapse. Still, it’s not fair to say Vancouver lack fight. They’re capable of putting opponents under pressure, but rarely sustain it for long stretches. Injuries to Thatcher Demko and Tomas have only made matters worse.

The matchup with Minnesota laid bare the Canucks’ current issues. Vancouver outshot the visitors 10-5 in the opening period but still went into the break trailing on the scoreboard. After that, all momentum swung to the Wild. Over the final two periods, Vancouver managed just seven shots while Minnesota fired off 29. By the start of the third, the deficit had ballooned to three goals and soon grew even larger. Only then did Max Sasson and Brock Boeser cut it back to 2-4. Liivi Merilainen stopped 30 of 34 shots, but even his efforts weren’t enough. After the game, Malhotra once again stressed the importance of simplicity: when Vancouver dumps the puck deep, battles hard, and stays compact, chances come their way. Problems arise when they try to force an extra pass. Boeser was even more blunt: Vancouver can put together a strong period, but for some reason, they stop doing what works as the game goes on.