The Anaheim Ducks' power play has been one of the biggest bright spots early in the 2026-27 NHL season. But an unexpected test may come.
On paper, the Ducks' power play should fly by the Boston Bruins' penalty kill. Anaheim has an amazing 33.33 power-play percentage heading into its Friday night matchup with the Bruins. That's tied for the second-best in the league.
As for Boston? Its penalty kill is a meager 76.00, making it one of the worst in the NHL. Currently, it is ranked 23rd.
But Mikael Granlund, per Derek Lee, won't play tonight. This could be a blow for the Ducks when they're on the man advantage. Anaheim has scored seven power-play goals this season, and Granlund has been responsible for four of them (1 goal, 3 assists).
With the news regarding Granlund, the Ducks must find ways to keep producing on the power play against the Bruins' penalty-kill unit. Luckily, they have Leo Carlsson, who has a goal and seven points at 5-on-4. Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier, and Jackson LaCombe are other players to watch.
Still, Granlund has been Anaheim's second-best producer. Gauthier missed the previous contest vs. the Calgary Flames . However, he appears ready to go for Friday night, per CBS Sports via the RotoWire Staff .
Despite Boston's penalty kill struggling early in the season, the Bruins are also capable of shutting teams down defensively. Heading into Friday, the Bruins rank second in the league with 16 goals allowed. That is an average of just 2.28 per game.
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has been a big reason for Boston's strong defense. But per Daily Faceoff , the Ducks will face Michael DiPietro. That could play into Anaheim's hands. But DiPietro was serviceable in his lone start of the season, stopping 26 of 29 shots for an .897 save percentage.
It's also worth pointing out that the Bruins have been better on the penalty kill over their three-game winning streak. The PK unit has been on the ice 14 times, stopping opponents 11 times. That's good for 78.5 percent, or 2.5 percent better than their overall penalty-kill percentage.
In short, this special teams matchup provides a unique challenge for both sides. Anaheim has one of the NHL's best power-play units but is down one of their key contributors. Meanwhile, Boston is going with its backup goaltender behind a PK unit that has improved over the past week.
Injuries have still been haunting the Ducks, with Ryan Poehling and Troy Terry missing significant time. Add Granlund to the mix, and the Ducks will keep getting tested offensively. Losing Tuesday's matchup to the Flames didn't help matters, as the Ducks looked like the superior team on paper.
In the meantime, the Anaheim Ducks must keep navigating their latest injury. As always, if Anaheim get fully healthy later this season, they will be tough to stop, considering the way they have been holding their own so far in 2026-27. The defensively sound Bruins give them another opportunity on Friday at 10 p.m. EDT.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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