{"id":465935,"date":"2025-04-03T16:42:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T20:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=465935"},"modified":"2025-04-03T16:42:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T20:42:36","slug":"nhl-predictions-april-3rd-anaheim-ducks-calgary-flames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/03\/nhl-predictions-april-3rd-anaheim-ducks-calgary-flames\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: April 3rd Anaheim Ducks vs Calgary Flames"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey<\/em> reviews the scheduled games and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will win in key head-to-head matchups. Today, we preview the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> versus the Calgary Flames<\/a>. Check out more NHL Predictions as the 2024\u201325 season continues.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n

Anaheim Ducks vs Calgary Flames<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Head to Head<\/strong>: Ducks 0 – 2 Flames<\/p>\n

Time<\/strong>: 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

TV<\/strong>: SN1; Victory+; KCOP-13; ESPN+<\/p>\n

The Anaheim Ducks (33-33-8) begin a quick, two-game road trip when they head north to face the Calgary Flames (35-27-12) at the Scotiabank Saddledome on April 3rd<\/a>. This is the third of four meetings between the teams this season, with Calgary having secured victory in the first two encounters. This will be the first of two games within a week between the two teams. The Flames are in the thick of the playoff hunt, making this a crucial game for their postseason aspirations, while the Ducks aim to build on recent successes and play spoiler.<\/p>\n

Anaheim Ducks Riding Momentum<\/h3>\n

The Ducks are coming off a relieving 4\u20133 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks on April 1st. Mason McTavish<\/a> was the standout performer, recording three assists in regulation and netting the decisive goal in the shootout. Trevor Zegras<\/a> and Sam Colangelo<\/a> each contributed a goal and an assist, while Jackson LaCombe<\/a> also found the back of the net. Goaltender Lukas Dostal<\/a> made 28 saves, helping Anaheim complete a season sweep of the Sharks. Building on this performance, Anaheim will be aiming to disrupt Calgary’s playoff aspirations.\u200b<\/p>\n

Offensively, the Ducks have shown improvement, with their young core gaining confidence. McTavish’s<\/a> recent performances highlight his growing importance to the team’s attack. Defensively, while there have been lapses, the Duck’s goaltending has provided a steady presence between the pipes and some stability. Since Dostal played against San Jose, John Gibson<\/a> is expected to start in goal for the Ducks tonight.<\/p>\n

Calgary Flames in the Playoff Push<\/h3>\n

In the edition of NHL Predictions, the Flames are in a heated battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Flames are currently seven points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card position, with two games in hand. However, a recent 3\u20131 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on April 1st has extended their struggles, with the team losing three of their last four games and falling six points back in the playoff race. Their upcoming schedule is not exactly a gauntlet. Although it is a tall task, it is not insurmountable.<\/p>\n

Calgary’s offence has been inconsistent, and their defence will need to tighten up to support their goaltending. Dustin Wolf<\/a> has played well in his rookie season, but the Flames playoff hopes hinge on their ability to capitalize on games against non-playoff teams like Anaheim. To do so, they will rely on leaders like Nazem Kadri<\/a> and Jonathan Huberdeau<\/a> to carry this team to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions<\/h3>\n
\n
Calgary, with their playoff aspirations on the line, will come out with urgency. Expect the Flames to dictate the pace early, utilizing their physicality and home-ice advantage. Anaheim’s young stars, particularly McTavish and Zegras, will look to counter with speed and creativity. However, the Ducks have not faired well at the Saddledome in recent years. In the end, the Flames’ desperation, home-ice, and experience give them the edge in a closely contested battle.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Prediction: Flames win 3\u20132<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n

We close out our NHL Predictions for the Anaheim Ducks versus Calgary with some of our preferred prop bets of the night. Consider Mason McTavish to record over three shots on goal (+110), coming off a game where he fired 11 at goal. Also, look at the total goals under 5.5 (+110), anticipating a tight, defensive game as Calgary fights to keep their playoff hopes alive.\u00a0 Season record: (17-31)<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly. Check your local rules and age restrictions. Some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Have a gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey reviews the scheduled games and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will win in key head-to-head matchups. Today, we preview the Anaheim Ducks versus the Calgary Flames. Check out more NHL Predictions as the 2024\u201325 season continues. NHL Predictions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5399,"featured_media":465991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,22,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6013,6015,3746,6752],"class_list":["post-465935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ducks","category-flames","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-anaheim-ducks-predictions","tag-calgary-flames-predictions","tag-dustin-wolf","tag-mason-mctavish"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465935"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":465993,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465935\/revisions\/465993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}