The Anaheim Ducks travel to Quebec for a cross-conference meeting with the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night at Bell Centre. Both teams have delivered high-scoring hockey for much of the season and continue to lean on dynamic young talent to do so. Anaheim enters the game looking to rebound after a shutout loss in its previous outing, while Montreal returns home after a setback against San Jose that snapped a brief winning run. Before the puck drops on Sunday evening, continue reading to find my Ducks vs Canadiens prediction below.
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Anaheim Ducks vs Montreal Canadiens
- Date & Time: Sunday, March 15, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
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Anaheim arrives in Montreal after a rough stretch over its last few games. The Ducks were shut out 2-0 by Ottawa in their most recent outing and have dropped three of their past four games. During that span, the club has struggled to finish chances, scoring four goals or fewer in each of those defeats. Despite the skid, Anaheim remains one of the stronger offensive groups in the Western Conference with an average of about 3.2 goals per game.
Montreal also enters this contest coming off a loss after falling 4-2 to San Jose. That result ended a three-game winning streak for the Canadiens. Prior to that defeat, the club had secured victories against Ottawa and Toronto while maintaining a position near the top of the Atlantic Division. Montreal has been one of the more productive offenses in the league, averaging roughly 3.5 goals per game.
Goaltending
The Ducks have rotated between Lukas Dostal and Ville Husso recently. Husso made 27 saves in the loss against Ottawa and could get another look depending on rest patterns during the road trip. Dostal has carried much of the workload this season with a save percentage just under .900 and remains the most likely starter if Anaheim wants its top netminder in a bounce-back spot.
Montreal has leaned on a combination of Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes down the stretch. Fowler owns a save percentage slightly above .900 and has delivered several strong outings during the Canadiens’ recent surge in the standings. Dobes has also seen time and stopped 17 shots in the loss to San Jose. Either option provides Montreal with a capable presence in net, but we are likely to see Dobes in net here.
Key skaters
- Cutter Gauthier leads Anaheim with 58 points and 33 goals.
- Jackson LaCombe leads the Ducks with 38 assists.
- Cole Caufield has 38 goals for Montreal.
- Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 76 points.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Anaheim defeated Montreal 6-5 in a shootout in the previous meeting this season.
- The Ducks are 39-27 to the over so far this season.
- The over is 39-25 in Canadiens games this year.
Ducks vs Canadiens Pick & Model Projection
- Score Projection: Montreal Canadiens 4 – Anaheim Ducks 3 ATS PRO
- Pick: Over 6.5 ATS PRO
- Confidence: 3 out of 5 ATS PRO
- Win Probability: Montreal Canadiens 56%, Anaheim Ducks 44% ATS PRO
This matchup features two teams that thrive on speed and skilled forwards. Montreal holds a slight edge due to home ice and a deeper top-scoring line anchored by Suzuki and Caufield. Anaheim’s defensive play has slipped during its recent slide, and the Ducks have allowed multiple high-scoring games over the past week. I’m going to take the over in this contest, as neither team has been all that impressive on defense and could be worse than usual on that end of the ice on the second game of a back-to-back.
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