Washington Capitals Travel to Vancouver to Take on the Canucks

The Washington Capitals will head to the Rogers Arena on Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks in a non-conference game. This is the second and final regular-season game against these two teams as Vancouver picked up a 4-2 road victory back on January 16. 

The Capitals are entering this game fourth in the Metropolitan Division (30-18-9, 69 points) and are riding a two-game winning streak, while the Canucks are sixth in the Pacific Division (28-23-6, 62 points) and are currently on a two-game winning streak of their own. 

Both of these teams have been playing well but are currently in the Wild Card hunt in their respective conferences. Let’s take a closer look at the Washington Capitals and the Vancouver Canucks to determine the best wagers to place in this game. 

Game Preview: Washington Capitals at Vancouver Canucks

The Washington Capitals are currently scoring 3.21 goals on 31.2 shots per game this season, while the Vancouver Canucks are a little bit behind them with 2.82 goals on 32.4 shot attempts per game. 

The Capitals are being led by left winger Alex Ovechkin has been dominating as he is eighth in the sport in points and four in goals as he has recorded 68 points (34 goals, 34 assists) and has scored five points in his previous three games. Compare that to the Canucks’ center J.T. Miller, who is 11th in the NHL in points and tied for 12th in hockey in assists as he has put up 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists) with 10 points in his previous five games. 

Washington’s goaltender Ilya Samsonov has been struggling this season as he is 17-9-3 with 2.93 goals and a 90.1 save percentage. Vancouver’s goalie Thatcher Demko has been doing well for himself as he is 2-16-2 with a 91.7 save percentage and giving up 2.63 goals per game thus far. As a team, the Capitals are giving up 2.74 goals on 28.9 shot attempts while the Canucks are allowing 2.84 goals on 31.6 shots. 

Washington Capitals at Vancouver Canucks Betting Prediction

There is a huge difference between these two offenses in their last five games as the Capitals are scoring 2.8 goals while the Canucks are averaging 4.8 goals. There is some home cooking going on here, too, as Vancouver is in the midst of a seven-game home set and need to pick up wins here in order to solidify a spot into the playoffs. 

They have already defeated the Capitals earlier this season on the road and covered the puck line, so it will be an interesting matchup this time around. Washington is currently 29-28 against the spread as of this writing, while Vancouver is sitting at 33-24 against the spread. All the signs point to the Vancouver Canucks being able to cover the puck line at home in this matchup.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.