Our Anaheim Ducks vs Vegas Golden Knights preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Friday, October 2, 2026. The Anaheim Ducks (43-33-6 in 2025-26) visit the Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Puck drop is 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT). TV: Scripps Sports / KCOP-13 / Prime Video (U.S.) / Sportsnet / TVA Sports (Canada).
Season-opener storyline: The Ducks open their season with a rematch of last spring’s Western Conference Second Round, which Vegas won in six games on its way to the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights are 1-0-0 under new coach Ryan Craig after a 5-2 home win over Chicago on Tuesday, Sept. 29, when Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists. Anaheim signed leading scorer Cutter Gauthier to a six-year, $81 million contract in mid-September but opens without forward Troy Terry (hip surgery) (NHL.com, The Hockey News). DraftKings lists Vegas at -185 and Anaheim at +154 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Anaheim Ducks vs Vegas Golden Knights Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Anaheim Ducks @ Vegas Golden Knights |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 Records | Anaheim Ducks 43-33-6 | Vegas Golden Knights 39-26-17 |
| Head Coaches | ANA: Joel Quenneville (2nd season) | VGK: Ryan Craig (1st season) |
| Puck Line | ANA +1.5 (-155) | VGK -1.5 (+130) |
| Moneyline | Anaheim Ducks: +154 | Vegas Golden Knights: -185 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-110 / u-110) |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nev.) |
| Date / Time | Friday, October 2, 2026 — 10:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | Scripps Sports / KCOP-13 / Prime Video (U.S.) / Sportsnet / TVA Sports (Canada) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | ANA: TBD (Lukas Dostal / Ville Husso) | VGK: TBD (Carter Hart / Adin Hill) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, ~6:18 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Anaheim Ducks Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Anaheim went 43-33-6 (92 points), finished third in the Pacific Division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Ducks beat Edmonton in six games in the first round before losing to Vegas in six in the second round. They ranked 13th in scoring (3.23 goals per game) but 29th in goals against (3.51) (NHL.com). Cutter Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points, Leo Carlsson had 67 points, Calder Trophy finalist Beckett Sennecke had 60 and Jackson LaCombe had 58.
Offseason moves: Anaheim matched Philadelphia’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet for Carlsson, signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year contract and signed Gauthier through 2031-32 (Ducks.com, ESPN). Mason McTavish was traded to St. Louis, John Carlson signed with Tampa Bay, Jacob Trouba signed with San Jose, Olen Zellweger was traded to Buffalo, and Radko Gudas was sent to Florida for forward A.J. Greer (career-high 17 goals). Chris Kreider’s contract was terminated on Sept. 10 to create cap space (NHL.com, ESPN). The Ducks also signed defenseman Nick Jensen and forward Jeff Malott.
Key players & coach: Gauthier, Carlsson, Sennecke, Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano lead the forwards, and rookies Roger McQueen and Nikita Klepov are on the season-opening roster. LaCombe and Mintyukov anchor a rebuilt defense with Jensen, Tristan Luneau and Tyson Hinds (The Hockey News, NHL.com). Joel Quenneville is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Lukas Dostal went 30-20-4 with a 3.10 GAA and .888 save percentage in 56 games last season, and Ville Husso went 10-8-2 with a 3.25 GAA. Anaheim is expected to run back that tandem, with Dostal as the starter (The Hockey News). The Ducks had not confirmed a starter for Friday at research time.
Injuries: Terry is on injured reserve after hip surgery and is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. Defensemen Drew Helleson and Ian Moore (lower body) are also on IR, and Greer (upper body) is day to day (NHL.com, ESPN, The Hockey News).
Vegas Golden Knights Preview: Craig Era Opens With a Win
2025-26 recap: Vegas went 39-26-17 (95 points) and won the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights replaced coach Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella with eight games left, went 7-0-1 the rest of the regular season, then beat Utah and Anaheim, swept Colorado and lost to Carolina in six games in the Stanley Cup Final. Mitch Marner led all playoff scorers with 29 points, and Brett Howden led the playoffs with 14 goals (NHL.com). Jack Eichel had 90 points (27 goals, 63 assists) in the regular season.
Offseason moves: Vegas hired Ryan Craig, who coached Henderson of the AHL for the past three seasons, on June 17. The Golden Knights traded Pavel Dorofeyev (37 goals) to the Rangers, Keegan Kolesar to Detroit, Kaedan Korczak to Pittsburgh for defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, and goalie Akira Schmid to Florida. Colton Sissons signed with Toronto. Vegas signed forwards Victor Olofsson and Marc Gatcomb, and forward Braeden Bowman signed a six-year extension that starts next season (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Eichel, Marner, captain Mark Stone, Ivan Barbashev (career-high 61 points), Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson and Howden lead the forwards. Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb and Rasmus Andersson lead the defense. Craig is in his first season as an NHL head coach.
Goalies: Carter Hart went 11-3-3 with a 2.71 GAA in 18 games last season and took over the net after the coaching change. He made 24 saves on 26 shots Tuesday. Adin Hill went 10-9-6 with a 3.04 GAA and .871 save percentage, and Craig has said both goalies will play early this season (NHL.com). Vegas had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Vegas beat Chicago 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sept. 29. Olofsson scored on the power play, and Trevor Connelly, Eichel, Hanifin and Stone (empty net) also scored. Eichel finished with a goal and two assists, and Vegas outshot Chicago 37-26 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Forward Raphael Lavoie (undisclosed) is day to day, and defenseman Lukas Cormier (undisclosed) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Ducks vs Golden Knights
- Schedule spot: It is Anaheim’s first game of the season. Vegas plays its second straight home game after three days off.
- Playoff rematch: Vegas beat Anaheim in six games in the second round last spring, and the Ducks averaged 2.17 goals per game in that series (NHL.com).
- Goals for and against: Anaheim ranked 13th in scoring last season but 29th in goals against.
- In goal: Dostal posted an .888 save percentage in 56 games last season. Hart allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Vegas opener.
- Familiar faces: Olofsson scored in his first game back with Vegas. Gauthier, Carlsson and Sennecke combined for 93 goals for Anaheim last season.
- Odds snapshot: Vegas -185 / Anaheim +154 on the moneyline, Golden Knights -1.5 (+130) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Anaheim Ducks vs Vegas Golden Knights
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Puck drop: 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT)
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
TV: In the U.S., Scripps Sports carries the game in the Golden Knights’ market, and KCOP-13 and Prime Video in the Ducks’ market (NHL.com). Sportsnet and TVA Sports have national coverage in Canada, and ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 2, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.