Two struggling Western Conference franchises are set to collide later tonight, with the Anaheim Ducks paying a visit to the Vancouver Canucks.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Anaheim Ducks (+180) vs. Vancouver Canucks (-220) Total: 6.5 (O-118, U-104)Despite heading in similar directions, there were certainly different expectations for these respective clubs entering the season. The Ducks were expected to be a poor team, and their intentions of selecting near the top of the NHL draft have been known. On the other hand, the Canucks thought they would bounce back after a poor season last year where they missed the playoffs, but that ultimately just hasn’t been the case, and they’ve continued to have a very up-and-down season in the West.
This will be the second of four matchups between these clubs, with the first contest having seen the Canucks pick up a high scoring 8-5 victory. Vancouver is listed as a -220 home favorite, while the Ducks are priced at +180. Anaheim has posted a 4-4-2 record over their past ten games, while the Canucks have won two in a row and sit at 5-4-1 over that same sample size.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the Ducks are expected to continue riding John Gibson, while the Canucks should do the same with Thatcher Demko. The Ducks netminder has posted a 13-24-7 record, paired with a .902 save percentage. Demko has been injured for a large portion of this season, owning a 5-11-2 record and a .893 save percentage. With these goalies’ numbers, it’s hard to find a big advantage in goal tonight.
With the Canucks playing much better of late and getting a solid streak going, it’s hard to look away from what they’re offering in this matchup tonight. There’s no real value on their moneyline price of -220, but the Canucks have already defeated the Ducks by three goals earlier, meaning we feel comfortable backing their puck line odds tonight at +106.
Best Bet: Canucks Puck Line -1.5 (+106)
We’ve already seen these clubs combine to score 13 goals, which should hardly be a shock to the system when you factor in that they sit last and second-last in the league in goals allowed per game. The Canucks have an edge in the goal-scoring department, occupying the eleventh spot in the NHL, while the Ducks sit 31st. Over the Ducks’ past five games, they’ve seen seven or more goals scored in just one matchup, while the Canucks have seen that transpire in two of theirs. We expect a high-scoring effort from Vancouver tonight, which gives us confidence that the over 6.5 will ultimately hit at -118.
Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-118)
There’s a lot of offensive talent for this Vancouver Canucks team, with their most significant issue on the defensive end. The Ducks share those same issues, which means we really like some of the value price tags that the Canucks offer with some of their players to score tonight. Elias Pettersson has tallied 79 points in 61 games to lead the club and has been a dynamic presence in their lineup on a nightly basis. In an extremely juicy matchup, Pettersson is worth targetting at +112.
Best Prop: Elias Pettersson to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+112)
