Backcheck
Recap · WPG at ANA

Ducks edge the Jets in overtime

The Ducks earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.

By the ModelJul 12, 4:45 AMxG: xgboost-0.758Edited for clarity
Away
WPG
Winnipeg Jets
4
Home
ANA
Anaheim Ducks
5
FINAL / OT
Process vs result

The underlying story

5.07Expected goals6.82
57% share for the better side
33Shot attempts (SOG)40
5High-danger chances16
69Corsi (all attempts)70
Score-adjusted: 45% / 55%
Source · NHL play-by-play · XGBoost xG

The Ducks' 5-4 overtime win masks a lopsided dominance. Anaheim generated 57% of expected goals (6.82–5.07) and 16 high-danger chances to Winnipeg's 5, yet underperformed their xG by 1.82 goals. They dominated and still barely won.

Anaheim controlled 55% of shot attempts (40–33), with higher-quality opportunities: 0.097 expected goals per shot versus Winnipeg's 0.073. They scored twice from the rush on 32 chances and generated 14 rebound opportunities, converting 2. Winnipeg couldn't capitalize on high-danger plays (0/5) and surrendered two goals from low-danger spots where Dostal should have had both.

Hellebuyck (WPG) made 35/40 saves (0.875 SV%), posting a 1.82 goals-above-expected performance that kept Winnipeg alive. Winnipeg's rush attack was itself dangerous—4 goals on 37 chances—but Chris Kreider's backhander from the doorstep at 04:47 of overtime won it for Anaheim. Dostal (ANA) finished with a 0.879 SV%, saving 1.07 above expected.

How the game was won

The danger ladder

shotsgoalsexpected
High dangerslot & crease
WPG0 / 5 · 1.30 xG
ANA3 / 16 · 4.08 xG
Medium dangermid-range
WPG2 / 29 · 3.31 xG
ANA1 / 19 · 2.13 xG
Low dangerperimeter & point
WPG2 / 35 · 0.46 xG
ANA1 / 35 · 0.61 xG

WPG went 2-for-35 from low danger on 0.46 expected goals — 1.5 above expected.

Source · Backcheck xG model · NHL play-by-play
The luck layer

Finishing vs expected

expectedactual
WPG
4 G · 5.07 xG · -1.1
ANA
5 G · 6.82 xG · -1.8
012345678
Goalies · GSAx (goals saved above expected)
C. HellebuyckWPG
+1.8
L. DostalANA
+1.1

WPG finished -1.1 against expected, ANA -1.8 — C. Hellebuyck (WPG) saved 1.8 goals above expected.

Source · Backcheck xG model
What they shot — and what went in

Shot diet

goalsshots
WPG
SNAP3/22
WRIST1/15
SLAP0/6
TIP IN0/7
BACKHAND0/0
DEFLECTED0/1
WRAP AROUND0/1
BAT0/1
POKE0/1
OTHER0/15
ANA
SNAP3/26
WRIST0/9
SLAP1/10
TIP IN0/5
BACKHAND1/10
DEFLECTED0/1
WRAP AROUND0/1
BAT0/1
POKE0/0
OTHER0/7
WPG
ANA
Off the rush
4 G on 37 · 3.54 xG
2 G on 32 · 3.79 xG
Off rebounds
0 G on 8 · 0.92 xG
2 G on 14 · 2.63 xG

Snap shots carried the volume: WPG went 3-for-22, ANA 3-for-26. WPG scored 4 of theirs off the rush.

Source · Backcheck xG model · NHL shot types
Three stars · computed, not voted
B. Sennecke
#45 · R · ANA
0 G · 3 A · 3 SOG · 19:05 TOI · +2
L. Stanley
#64 · D · WPG
0 G · 2 A · 2 SOG · 28:13 TOI
K. Connor
#81 · L · WPG
1 G · 1 A · 3 SOG · 26:39 TOI · -1
Ranked from the box score — points first · Backcheck
What the model flagged
  • C. Hellebuyck (WPG) stopped 1.8 goals above expected.
  • Open game — 21 high-danger chances combined (ANA 16, WPG 5).
  • ANA generated far more dangerous chances — 0.097 xG/shot vs 0.073. Quality over quantity.
  • WPG couldn't convert — 0/5 on high-danger chances. That won't happen often.
  • WPG scored 2 goals from low-danger spots — the opposing goalie needs to have those.
  • ANA was lethal off the rush — 2 goals on 32 rush chances.
  • WPG was lethal off the rush — 4 goals on 37 rush chances.
  • ANA created 14 rebound opportunities (2 converted) — crashing the net effectively.
  • WPG created 8 rebound opportunities (0 converted) — crashing the net effectively.
  • ANA underperformed xG by 1.8 — wasted quality chances.
Before the game — the model's pre-game read
Preview · WPG at ANA · 10:00 PM ET

The Ducks are the model's lean over the Jets — with PDO regression in play

By the ModelJul 12, 4:44 AMEdited for clarity
Win probability

The model's lean

56%
ANA
Model favorite
44%
56%
WPG50ANA

ANA by 12 points of win probability — a modest lean. Projected score WPG 2.52.8 ANA; 18% chance it's tied after 60.

Source · Backcheck Poisson projection · season scoring rates
Season profile · edge from the spine

Tale of the tape

WPG← edge
edge →ANA
48.0%5v5 xG%52.0%
49.0%Corsi%52.0%
2.34xGF / 602.80
2.55xGA / 602.59
1.90Goals for / gm2.09
2.10Goals against / gm2.32
0.998PDO — luck, not skill0.981

ANA holds 4 of 6 process categories — and PDO (0.998 vs 0.981) says WPG has run hotter.

Source · MoneyPuck season tables · 5v5

The model favors Anaheim by a thin margin: 56% win probability with a projected score of 2.5 to 2.8. The edge belongs to the Ducks' underlying play, though regression risk looms for both sides.

Anaheim has earned this lean on recent form. The Ducks are 8-2-0 in their last 10, while Winnipeg sits at minus-10 in goal differential over the same stretch—a deterioration that signals the Jets' recent results don't match their fundamentals.

At 5v5, the gap widens. Anaheim controls shot quality at 52.0% xG% and 52.0% Corsi%, while Winnipeg lags at 48.0% and 49.0% respectively. That territorial tilt means the Ducks will spend the evening in the offensive zone.

The PDO numbers cut both ways. Winnipeg's 0.998 sits close to neutral, offering little predictive insight. Anaheim's 0.981 flags a team running cold, suggesting positive regression. If the Ducks' underlying work translates to shooting percentage, their margin grows.

Goaltending adds uncertainty. Both L. Dostal and E. Comrie face back-to-back games, creating the possibility of a tired starter or a backup appearance.

The forward matchups tilt Anaheim's way. Beckett Sennecke leads the Ducks' charge at 1.03 xG/60, having compiled 20 goals and 19 assists with 8 high-danger goals—a marker of both volume and quality. Cutter Gauthier supports at 0.99 xG/60, with 25 goals, 16 assists, and 2 high-danger goals.

Winnipeg counters with Nino Niederreiter (0.87 xG/60, 6 goals, 6 assists, 3 high-danger goals) and Kyle Connor (0.83 xG/60, 25 goals, 30 assists, 2 high-danger goals). Sennecke carries 8 high-danger goals to Niederreiter's 3, while his 13.5% shooting outpaces Niederreiter's 8.6%. Connor's 13.0% shooting is efficient, though Sennecke's rate edge and high-danger goal volume reflect a clear advantage for the Ducks in dangerous areas.

Colin Miller represents a weak point for Winnipeg's defense; Mason McTavish leads the Ducks' back end. Anaheim should control the game's flow—the Ducks' tilt in both xG% and Corsi% suggests the model's 56% lean reflects a durable edge.

Whether that converts to the projected 2.5-to-2.8 finish depends on shooting variance. Here, the PDO gap hints at Anaheim's favor: running cold at 0.981 against a neutral 0.998 suggests the Ducks are due for positive regression.

Computed danger · scouting

Players to watch

WPG
Nino Niederreiter6G 6A
0.87 xG/60 · 3 HD · 8.6% sh
Kyle Connor25G 30A
0.83 xG/60 · 2 HD · 13.0% sh
ANA
Beckett Sennecke20G 19A
1.03 xG/60 · 8 HD · 13.5% sh
Cutter Gauthier25G 16A
0.99 xG/60 · 2 HD · 12.9% sh
Source · MoneyPuck skaters