Tampa Bay Lightning vs Anaheim Ducks Prediction & Picks - NHL

Prediction published on 12/31/25, 12:05 PM  by Edgar Jibran in NHL Picks

New Year’s Eve will bring a very entertaining NHL schedule, the game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Tampa Bay Lightning being one of the most anticipated due to the most recent recovery from the Lightning during their most recent games. However, this game isn’t expected to be easy for Tampa Bay, as the Ducks are urged for a victory that could allow them to maintain their playoff spot.

When looking deeper into both teams’ performance, it can be noted that the Anaheim Ducks have a three-game losing streak, during which they conceded fourteen goals. With this number in mind, it makes sense that the Ducks have become the worst defense in the Western Conference with 137 goals conceded throughout the season, so Joel Quenneville is expected to hardly work on improving the defensive performance of his team.

As for the Tampa Bay Lightning, this team is fiercely competing for sitting in the top 4 in the Eastern Conference’s standings, so facing this game with a current four-game winning streak looks like the perfect motivation for a victory against the Ducks. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Nikita Kucherov has again been able to find his best performance, a fact that can be confirmed when looking at the fact that he scored two goals during their victory over the Canadiens.