Tonight's game marks the seventh time Anaheim has kicked off its regular season slate at Honda Center. The Ducks are 4-2 in home-ice season openers, including wins in 2017 and 2019 over Arizona.
Anaheim finished the preseason with a 3-4-0 record, with wins in two of its final three games. Trevor Zegras led NHL rookies in preseason scoring (2-5=7) and assists, also pacing the Ducks in both categories.
Anaheim's lineup could include a couple of rookies making their NHL debut as Mason McTavish and Bo Groulx officially earned a place on the Ducks' initial 23-man roster. If McTavish makes his NHL debut Wednesday, he would become the youngest forward and second-youngest player in Ducks history (18 years, 256 days). Anaheim's opening night roster features plenty of youth, with six players 22-and-under (McTavish, Groulx, Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Isac Lundestrom and Max Comtois) and an another four under the age of 25 (Max Jones, Josh Mahura, Sam Steel and Troy Terry).
Rickard Rakell will open the season appearing in his 500th career NHL game. Anaheim's 2011 first-round pick has collected 311 points (138=173=311) in 499 games as a Duck.
Winnipeg returns to the Western Conference's Central Division this season after competing in the temporary North Division, comprising all seven Canadian clubs, during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Winnipeg is making its first trip to Honda Center since Nov. 29, 2019.
The Jets and Ducks will get to know each quite well early in the season, meeting three times in the season's first two weeks, including a Southern California rematch scheduled for Oct. 26 at Honda Center. Anaheim owns an 18-12-5 all-time record against the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise.
Connor Hellebuyck projects to earn the start in net for the visiting Jets. The Michigan native and 2020 Vezina Trophy winner paced NHL netminders in games played (45) and saves (1,223) last season and finished fifth in wins (24). Hellebucyk is one of two active NHL goalies with 20-or-more wins in each of his past five seasons (also Andrei Vasilevskiy). The seventh-year pro holds Winnipeg's franchise records in career save percentage (.917) and goals-against-average (2.64).
Tickets for tonight's home opener are
on sale now
.
