The Arizona Coyotes (18-14-2) will compete with the Anaheim Ducks (13-21-0) for the third time this year on Friday, December 29 at 10:00 PM ET at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The Coyotes are slight favorites to win with a moneyline current at -130.

The Coyotes have won four out their last five games heading into this matchup, with their most recent one being a 5-4 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche. This put them back on track after they had just lost to the Avalanche 4-1 in the game prior.

There are a handful of players that are the faces of this offense. Matias Maccelli leads the team with 20 assists, Lawson Crouse leads with 15 goals, and Clayton Keller leads with 30 points.

The Coyotes are averaging 3.12 goals per game while firing off 27.1 shots. Their power play situations are more appealing than the Ducks, as they have scored 26 power play goals and have allowed 22. Their power play percentage is currently at 23.0, which is slightly higher than the Ducks.

They are allowing teams to score 2.91 goals and take 31.1 shots. They also feature a penalty kill percentage at 78.8.

The Ducks recently snapped their two-game win streak with a 5-2 outing over the Vegas Golden Knights. This has pushed them to 3-2 over their last five games, but they must continue this momentum in order to eventually see .500 this year.

Frank Vatrano currently leads them with 25 points and 16 goals on offense. He is also helped out by Ryan Strome, who has 16 assists.

They are only scoring 2.65 goals and taking 29.2 shots each game. Their power plays have been solid, but they have scored 23 times and have allowed 31. As a result, their power play percentage stands at 21.5 and has a chance to contend with the Coyotes.

Their defense has allowed 3.32 goals and 31.9 shot attempts per matchup. Their penalty kill percentage is slightly higher than the Coyotes at 79.9, which might not make the biggest impact here.

MyBookie has the odds ready for this third encounter between these two teams, with the Arizona Coyotes as slight favorites to win. Currently, the series is tied one game a piece.

The last time these two met was a 4-3 overtime thriller with the Ducks winning. This matchup could very well be close like last time, especially since both teams have issues defending. Overall, the Coyotes appear to have a better chance at winning since they have had better performances with being consistent.