In their last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals collide at Capital One Arena in an East-West showdown. Sportsnet Pacific will showcase the matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 9.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington comes into the contest as the obvious favorite with a moneyline of -230. The line for Vancouver sits at +190, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 under, +100 over.
Washington is 26-16 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 7.7 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked third in the league so far this season, is a slide from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (55-27). Through 42 regular season outings, 24 of the teams games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. This year, the teams 17-5 SU at home.
The Capitals have converted on 20.2 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 24th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.9 percent of all penalties.
The Capitals, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 4.2 times per game overall this season, and 3.2 per game over their last five games at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 8.8 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, in total.
Averaging 28.5 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Braden Holtby (24-8) has been the best goalkeeper for the Caps this season. If Washington chooses to rest him, however, the team may go with Philipp Grubauer (2-11-11 record, .909 save percentage, 2.70 goals against average).
The Caps will continue relying on leadership from Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Ovechkin (45 points) has tallied 27 goals and 18 assists and has recorded multiple points in 11 different games this year. Kuznetsov has 12 goals and 27 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 24 contests.
On the other bench, Vancouver is 16-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 42 regular season contests, 24 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. The Canucks are 9-11 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Canucks have converted on 20.4 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 28th overall and it’s successfully defended 77.7 percent of all penalties.
Vancouver’s skaters have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season, 3.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 4.0 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jacob Markstrom (26.1 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for Vancouver. Markstrom owns a 10-20-5 record, and has registered a .907 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average this year.
Brock Boeser (22 goals, 18 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the visiting Canucks.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Vancouver is 0-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 3-1 in shootouts.
- The over has hit in four of Washington’s last five outings.
- Washington’s attempted 28.9 shots per game overall this season (ranked 31st in the NHL), and 27.8 over their last 10 outings.
- Washington has scored 3.1 goals per game overall this season, but has upped it to 4.5 per match up on its four-game winning streak.
- Over Vancouver’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-5 in those games).
- The Caps this season have registered the 11th-most hits per game (22.5), but that number has climbed to 25.4 over their last five games as the home team.
