The Anaheim Ducks may have gotten off to a good start this season, but their follow-through has been anything other than spectacular.  They started the year by going 6-2 before hitting the shallow end of the pond and going 4-9 in their last 13 games.  Out of their last six, they’ve only won one game and the record will most likely continue tonight as they face a formidable opponent in the Washington Capitals. So with this game in mind let’s have a look at our daily picks for Nov 18.

Sports Intel Daily Picks Nov 18

The Capitals are 15-3-4 and currently have the most points out of all the teams in the league, sitting at 34.  The past four contests haven’t exactly been all that great, with the team going 2-2, but they still have strength on their side.  Braden Holtby and Jacob Vrana are certainly going to keep the pressure on the Ducks and, now that Travis Boyd has scored his first goal of the season, he should be feeling a little more enthusiastic.  The Capitals have this one wrapped up across the board, in the moneyline and the spread.

This past September, the LA Kings faced off against the Arizona Coyotes and blew them away, 4-1.  However, the Coyotes have been fairly solid all season and will come into tonight’s game looking for revenge.  Given that the Kings are now 8-11-1 on the season, they could use a serious pick-me-up.

They shouldn’t expect it tonight, though.  The Coyotes have been showing playoff potential for the better part of the season and are now 12-7-2.  They just took down the Calgary Flames 3-0 in their most recent games, thanks to Derek Stephan, Lawson Crouse and Carl Soderberg, and Darcy Kuemper did an awesome job protecting the net, blocking all 37 shots the Flames attempted.  The Coyotes are the favorite to win and there won’t be any surprises, so they are the second of our picks for Nov 18.

The Kings might soon find some extra support, if they can lose a little dead weight.  The team is reportedly looking to figure out how to get forward Ilya Kovalchuk off the squad, which won’t be easy.  He came back into the league last year on a three-year contract worth $18.75 million and hasn’t lived up to expectations.  However, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders might be interested if either team could work out the finances.  The St. Louis Blues are also another possibility, especially since they’re down Vladimir Tarasenko, out due to injury until the spring.

In other NHL news, Cory Schneider will no longer be wearing the New Jersey Devils uniform.  He was placed on waivers today and is most likely going down to the minors, most likely with Binghamton.

Jack Johnson apparently didn’t like the rumor that he could be stripped of his Pittsburgh Penguins uniform, so he upped his game.  The defenseman has turned around his performance on the ice and will apparently be able to stay where he is, at least for now.

The Montreal Canadiens are 11-5-4 on the season, but the record might take a tumble.  Both Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron are going to be forced out due to surgery, Drouin on his wrist and Byron on his knee.  Both are expected to be out for weeks.

That’s it for the Sports Intel daily picks for Nov 18, good luck!