The Detroit Red Wings will visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Both of these teams are above .500 to start the season and the Ducks are slight favorites as they look to continue their surprising start at home. Before this contest begins from Anaheim, continue reading to get my breakdown of this matchup, including my Red Wings vs Ducks prediction.
Our Red Wings vs Ducks Pick
- Pick: Anaheim Ducks to win
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks
- Date & Time: Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:00 PM ET
- Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
Detroit is off to an excellent start at 8‑3‑0. In their most recent contest they edged out the Los Angeles Kings 4‑3 in a shootout, propelled by a pair of goals from Marco Kasper and one from Alex DeBrincat. That was impressive, but the Red Wings will be tested in this game as they have to play on the second night of a back-to-back.
Anaheim is 5‑3‑1 and recently knocked off the Florida Panthers 3‑2 in a shootout. The Ducks got key contributions from Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, and Leo Carlsson in that upset win over the defending champions. Now they are back at home and looking to continue what has been a pleasantly surprising start to the season.
Goaltending
Goaltending will be a huge factor in this contest. Detroit’s goaltending situation is a question mark, as they might have to change things up in net after playing on Thursday night. Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal has a goals‑against average of 2.84 and a save percentage of .906 in his seven starts this season. Those are respectable numbers and he will try to lead his team to a win by standing strong in net here.
Key skaters
Detroit’s attack is led by Dylan Larkin (8 goals, 8 assists) and Alex DeBrincat (3 goals, 9 assists). The emergence of young center Marco Kasper (3 goals) has been helpful to the Wings offensively so far. Anaheim will rely on Cutter Gauthier (6 goals) and Leo Carlsson (3 goals, 7 assists) to lead their attack.
Best Player Props
| Player | Stat Type | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Dylan Larkin (DET) | Points | Over 0.5 |
| Alex DeBrincat (DET) | Assists | Over 0.5 |
| Cutter Gauthier (ANA) | Goals | Over 0.5 |
| Leo Carlsson (ANA) | Assists | Over 0.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first of two games these teams will play against one another during the regular season.
- Anaheim is 4-5 on the puckline market to start this season.
- Detroit is 7-3 on the puckline through its first 10 games.
- The Ducks have gone over the total in five of their first nine outings.
- Detroit is 4-3-3 on over/unders to begin the season.
Red Wings vs Ducks Model Projection
Score Projection: Anaheim 4 – Detroit 3
Win Probability: Anaheim Ducks 58%, Detroit Red Wings 42%
Final Thoughts
The rest advantage for the Ducks is what will give them the edge in this game. Anaheim has had a couple of nights off before this game, while the Wings are playing for the second night in a row. Expect the Ducks to be the fresher team in this game and for them to get an impressive win at home against one of the hottest teams in hockey.
