The New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Thursday night, Oct. 22, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. Arseny Gritsyuk and Nico Hischier scored first-period goals, Nico Daws made 16 saves, and Anaheim lost its fifth straight game, falling to 4-6-0.
Anthony Mantha restored a two-goal lead with 6:33 left in the third period, and Jack Hughes added an empty-netter with 6.1 seconds remaining, according to the AP game report. New Jersey won its second in a row and improved to 6-4-0.
Gritsyuk and Hischier Give Devils an Early Lead
Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first period, finishing from close range off a centering pass from Jesper Bratt. Hischier made it 2-0 on a power play, scoring off a rebound with 41 seconds left in the period. Bratt assisted on both goals, and Hughes assisted on Gritsyuk’s. Each scorer reached five goals for the season.
Anaheim’s reply came late. Tim Washe scored on a tip at 8:20 of the third, cutting the deficit to one. Mantha’s goal then restored the margin.
End of two.#NJDevils lead the Ducks 2-0.1:🚨 Gritsyuk (Bratt, J. Hughes) 1:🚨 Hischier (Evangelista, Bratt) 🏒 Shots: 21-10, NJDucks really pushed that 2P, NJ weathers it and comes out with a push of their own at the end of the period.
Ville Husso stopped 25 shots for the Ducks.
Models Favored the Devils, but Not Equally
Every preview picked New Jersey, but the confidence varied. BetMGM’s model gave the Devils 64.0%, while Dimers put it at 60.8% and flagged the Ducks’ moneyline as its best value bet. Last Word On Sports blended its sources to about 63 per cent and expected a close game.
The Dunkel Index projected a 5-2 Devils win and an over on 6.5 goals. The game finished with five total goals, so neither the margin nor the total matched that projection; the Devils’ win did.
Prices varied by book. Moneylines for New Jersey ranged from about -198 to -222, with Anaheim at roughly +164 to +180. The puck line was 1.5 and the total was 6.5 goals.
Last Word On Sports’ model saw little separation on scoring rates, rating Anaheim’s attack at about 3.06 goals a game against 3.02 for New Jersey, while the Devils held a small defensive edge at about 2.98 allowed versus 3.18.
Daws and Husso Start Over Expected Goalies
Before the game, MoneyPuck listed Jake Allen as only about 57 per cent likely to start for New Jersey, with Daws as the other option, per Last Word On Sports. Allen had made 31 saves in Tuesday’s win over Colorado. Daws got the start Thursday. For Anaheim, Lukas Dostal was projected at about 67 per cent to start, but Husso played.
Dostal entered the night 3-4-0 with a 3.2 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage. Allen was 4-2-0 in six games and had allowed 19 goals.
Hughes Led Devils Scorers; Both Teams Missing Players
Before the game, Hughes led New Jersey with nine points, and Bratt had seven on two goals and five assists. Gritsyuk had six points through nine games. For Anaheim, Leo Carlsson had 11 points, Beckett Sennecke had eight and Mikael Granlund had eight on two goals and six assists.
New Jersey was without Seamus Casey (knee) and Nick Bjugstad (pectoral). Anaheim listed Ryan Poehling, Ian Moore (both lower body) and Troy Terry (hip) as out, with Judd Caulfield day-to-day for a personal reason.
Ducks Extend Slide as Both Teams Face Saturday Games
The Ducks’ losing streak reached five after back-to-back defeats to the Rangers (5-2) and Islanders (3-2) earlier in the week. In the Islanders game, Anaheim managed just 17 shots on goal, according to Fubo’s preview. The Islanders scored all three of their goals in the first period, and Alex Killorn’s goal at 17:20 of the third came too late. Frank Vatrano had scored for the Ducks in the first.
Before Thursday, the Devils were 10th in the Eastern Conference and the Ducks 12th in the Western Conference. New Jersey had beaten Colorado 4-3 on Tuesday.
Anaheim visits Philadelphia on Saturday, and New Jersey hosts Los Angeles the same day. The Devils and Ducks meet again at Anaheim on New Year’s Day 2027.
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