Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 29 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Anaheim Ducks: game preview

Puck drop1 Jan · 4:00 PM ET
VenueHonda Center
All-time meetings56 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Five points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Anaheim finished 18th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 57

Across 56 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 30-22-4.

All-time record30-22-4New Jersey's record in the series
Meetings played56This is number 57
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Anaheim
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
13 Dec 2025ANA 1 – NJD 4——NJD
2 Nov 2025NJD 1 – ANA 4——ANA
31 Dec 2024NJD 2 – ANA 3——ANA
27 Oct 2024ANA 2 – NJD 6——NJD
1 Mar 2024NJD 3 – ANA 4——ANA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyAnaheim
2 Nov 20259-4-0 · 18 pts4th7-3-1 · 15 pts8th
13 Dec 202518-13-1 · 37 pts14th19-12-1 · 39 pts9th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 2 Nov 2025, New Jersey were 4th in the league and Anaheim 8th. By 13 Dec 2025 it was 14th and 9th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Anaheim 131 to 129

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New Jersey Devils

131 att · 55 on goal · 5 G · 9.1%
Crease17 att · 1 G
Slot49 att · 4 G
Wing41 att · 0 G
Point21 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Anaheim Ducks

129 att · 60 on goal · 5 G · 8.3%
Crease10 att · 0 G
Slot51 att · 4 G
Wing46 att · 1 G
Point16 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey and Anaheim are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

New JerseyAnaheim
3.52xG for per game2.19
3.01xG against per game3.49
53.9%xG share38.6%
−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.0

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 2 for Anaheim. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183
Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 29 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 29 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 29 Dec

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 29 Dec

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

13 Dec 20255 · ANA 1–4 NJD
2 Nov 20255 · NJD 1–4 ANA
31 Dec 20245 · NJD 2–3 ANA
27 Oct 20248 · ANA 2–6 NJD
1 Mar 20247 · NJD 3–4 ANA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov
27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

Injury report
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

Updated after every final