On Thursday in the NHL the league-leading Winnipeg Jets ring in the New Year by hosting the Anaheim Ducks at Canada Life Centre. Welcome to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey, where each day we preview and predict the upcoming slate of NHL games around the league!

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets NHL game to be played on January 2, 2025 on ESPN.

The 27-11-1 Winnipeg Jets will host the 15-17-4 Anaheim Ducks from Canada Life Centre on Thursday evening. Returning home following a quick 24-hour road trip to Colorado on Tuesday night, the Jets will look to bounce back following the loss against the Avalanche as they begin their season-high eight-game homestand.

Casey Mittelstadt ended a 19-game scoring drought with a tiebreaking goal in the third period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Tuesday night. Mittelstadt last scored on Nov.

The Winnipeg Jets won their fourth game in a row with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Predators on Monday night and are right back in action on New Year’s Eve. Kyle Connor has been terrific this season, and my Jets vs. Avalanche predictions and NHL picks expect the winger to stay hot on December 31.

The Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Tuesday at Ball Arena to improve to 23-15-0 on the season. Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, and Casey Mittelstadt were the first three goal-scorers for Colorado while Mikko Rantanen and Ross Colton added empty-net tallies.