Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks Prediction, NHL Odds
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Edgar Chaput
The Senators remain in the Northwest as they battled the Seattle Kraken on Thursday evening. For their part, the Canucks would like nothing more than to string together a fourth consecutive win, especially at home.
The oddsmakers have Ottawa at +172 on the puckline (-138 on the moneyline) on the NHL odds and have settled the over-under at 6.5 goals.
Senators vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds
As is always the case with intraconference rivals, only two dates are on the schedule every year. In this particular instance, the tables have changed greatly since the last time the Sens and Canucks met at centre ice in November. Neither team impressed much in the early weeks of the season. For what it was worth, Vancouver took the game 6-4.
Ottawa is a very different team these days. While they aren’t in a playoff spot (four points out, in fact), they look vastly more like a club that belongs at the big Stanley Cup dance. 7-3 in the last 10 outings is proof in the pudding, as are some of the final scores they’ve made opponents suffer. Ottawa has royally flattened several rivals since late January when they began this journey which has seen them go a terrific 12-6.
In the case of the Canucks, things never improved much, if at all. They don’t have one of their top scorers anymore and fired the coach who managed that November game. The current three-game success streak they have going on matches their season-best, which they’ve done on two occasions. Winning a fourth in a row wouldn’t mean much as far as postseason ambitions, but it would demonstrate that Vancouver has the pride to finish a season strong.
Ottawa Senators
If any contest showed who the Senators are this year, it was their most recent game against the Kraken in Seattle. They aren’t a perfect side, they make mistakes, goaltending sometimes leaves them out to dry, but they have heart and a lot of offensive firepower.
Said firepower was on full display in the opening frame, as the guests raced out to a 3-0 lead through goals by Shane Pinto (17th), Jakob Chychrun (ninth), and Patrick Brown (third). Each marker, in its own way, exemplified hustle and what can happen when pressure is emphasized in the other team’s zone. But then the poor Senators put their jerseys on, which allowed the Kraken to slink their way back and even take a 4-3 lead in the third period. With the building rocking and Seattle flying, Ottawa refused to go down quietly. Claude Giroux (41) tied the game less than a minute later before Alex DeBrincat (21st) took advantage of sloppy netminding for the contest-winning goal. Sens win 5-4.
Vancouver Canucks
Even when the calendar shifts to March in a season when all hope is basically lost, it’s important to step up in games that even pessimists would think a team should win. The Canucks…mostly did that Wednesday evening when they hosted the Anaheim Ducks.
There are no two ways about it. As poor as Vancouver has been this year, Anaheim has found ways to be even worse. And yet, it was the visitors taking the initiative early through Troy Terry. Before the opening 20 minutes were played out, J.T. Miller (22nd), for the second game in a row, netted a shorthanded goal. The ever-dependable Andrei Kuzmenko (30th) gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead, but some sloppy play on a face-off deep in their own zone allowed Anaheim to level the terms before the second period concluded. Vancouver huffed and puffed in the third period, largely outplaying their opponents, but to no avail. Extra time was required when J.T. Miller earned his brace (23rd) by going end to end and wrist a wicked shot for the winner. Canucks take it 3-2.
