GAME 11: Anaheim Ducks (6-3-1, 13 PTS) vs New Jersey Devils (9-3-0, 18 PTS)

When: Sunday, 5 p.m. Pacific (NOTE: Daylight Savings ended at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Clocks fall back one hour.)

Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.

Local TV: FOX-Plus KCOP-13, Victory+

Projected Starting Goaltenders: Ducks – Lukáš Dostál; Devils – Jake Allen

Injuries: Ducks – Radko Gudas (OUT, lower-body), Mikael Granlund (OUT, lower-body), Ryan Strome (IR, upper-body); Devils – Connor Brown (day-to-day,), Cody Glass (IR), Brett Pesce (OUT, upper-body)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As the calendar turns to November, the schedule does not let up after the first 10 games of the season for the Anaheim Ducks.

Anaheim will face playoff teams from last season in 10 of the 15 games this month, with two of the remaining five against teams currently in playoff positions.

That stretch of contenders begins tonight against the New Jersey Devils, who won in Los Angeles last night, 4-1.

“I don’t think we want any easy schedule. We want to play the best teams. I know I do,” Olen Zellweger said. “We’re looking forward to it. I think we’re kind of behind on the games (played) compared to the other teams. A game or two behind. So I’m excited to get going in November. I think we build a pretty good foundation as a group, and it’s going to be a critical month to definitely grow on that.”

The Ducks themselves sit in playoff positioning after a successful start to the season, but there are, of course, 72 games left to play in the 2025-26 season.

Anaheim has not had trouble scoring goals this season. The Ducks are seventh in the league with 3.6 goals scored per game and 10th with 2.73 goals scored per 60 minutes at five-on-five. Those real goal totals fall in line with their expected goal rates with 3.45 expected goals per game and 2.73 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five.

Where the Ducks are still striving for more consistency is on the defensive end. Anaheim is 31st in the league with 3.23 expected goals allowed per 60 minutes at five-on-five. However, thanks to top-notch play from Lukas Dostal–seventh in the NHL in goals saved above expected–and those strong offensive numbers, the Ducks have stayed above water.

“Sometimes the game opens up pretty good. I think we have a fantastic team for that,” Zellweger said. “But that’s high risk, obviously. You want to be in control and kind of leading the game from the back out. I think just managing the puck and the high danger zones. There’s going to be times to make plays and attack defensemen.”

The Devils come off their win over the Kings, which stopped a two-game losing blip. New Jersey had won eight straight into the start of last week. The Devils have been middle of the road analytically to start the year, but they are finishing their chances, with a league-high 6.6 goals scored above expected at five-on-five.

This is the second consecutive opponent that the Ducks have gotten on the second half of a back-to-back with Los Angeles.

Injury Updates for Gudas, Granlund, Strome

Ducks coach Joel Quenneville provided a bit more clarity on the veteran Ducks that remain sidelined with injuries.

Both captain Radko Gudas and free agent pick-up Mikael Granlund left the last road trip with lower-body injuries picked up in the first period of consecutive games.

“Those two guys are probably–You’re looking at a week or two, and we’ll see,” Quenneville said on Friday. “I think they’re both progressing.”

Ryan Strome has been on injured reserve since before the season-opener on Oct. 9 with an upper-body injury. Strome did join the team late in the last road trip and has been skating separately.

“He skated here the last couple of days,” Quenneville said. “I think that he’s probably in the same timeline (as Gudas and Granlund.”

Gudas and Granlund have yet to be put on injured reserve as Strome was and still is. As such, there has been no injury call-ups. Anaheim is skating with six defensemen, and Jansen Harkins’ return last week gives the Ducks 13 healthy forwards.

Projected Lines based on Practice Saturday, 11/1:

Chris Kreider-Leo Carlsson-Troy Terry

Cutter Gauthier-Mason McTavish-Beckett Sennecke

Nikita Nesterenko-Ryan Poehling-Alex Killorn

Ross Johnston-Jansen Harkins-Frank Vatrano

Jackson LaCombe-Drew Helleson

Olen Zellweger-Jacob Trouba

Pavel Mintyukov-Ian Moore

Scratches: Sam Colangelo (healthy), Radko Gudas (lower-body), Mikael Granlund (lower-body)