A Play And +160 Sprinkle For Canucks Vs. Senators

Canucks vs. Senators, 7:07 ET

I dropped the NHL play that I had yesterday. It wasn't a terrible read, it was just a bad result. The Kings ended up taking down the Golden Knights, but that doesn't mean we just pack our bags and give up. I'm going to play another one tonight and see if we can steal that unit that we lost. This time we are going to head north and focus on a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators.

The Canucks are off to a hot start with a 9-2-1 record and looking to keep rolling. Their two losses on the season have both come on the road, but they are currently on a four-game winning streak where they have averaged almost six goals per game. That offensive production is pretty insane, but let's throw out their 10-1 win. They are still averaging over four goals per game over the other three wins. Their offense for the season is averaging 4.5 goals per game. The defense though is what impresses me the most. They are only allowing two goals per game to opponents and have allowed two or fewer in all of their past four victories. In fact, on the season, they've only allowed three or more goals in four games. The Canucks are likely to start Thatcher Demko in the net tonight. Demko has arguably been the best goalie in the net this season. He has the best record in the NHL, is tied for the most shutouts, and is third in both goals against per game, and save percentage. The Senators have a pretty strong offense, but I'm not sure that it is good enough to get past this Canuck defense and Demko.

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 25: Shane Pinto #57 of the Ottawa Senators gets ready to take a faceoff in the second period of the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on March 25, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Senators are pretty middle-of-the-pack when it comes to the performance overall. Currently, they sit with a 5-6-0 record and a 3-4-0 home record. Their current form has them losing three of their past five games. The team has allowed 12 goals in the three losses and only five in the two wins. They are shooting essentially the same amount of shots per game as the Canucks are allowing per game, so their offensive production should be close to normal, but I think the Canucks defense will likely stop more of the shots. The Senators are in one of those strange situations where they were at home, then went on the road for one game, and are now back at home. This is the start of a nice six-game homestand. The Senators are expected to start Anton Forsberg in the pipes. Where Demko ranks at the top of the NHL statistics, Forsberg ranks as a below-starter-level goalie. He's only faced 80 shots this season and allowed 11 goals this year. I think the Canucks can attack him and pepper him with shots. That should provide a high-level of goals allowed.

You're telling me I get the better goalie, the better team, the better offense, the better defense, and I'm only paying -125 for them to win the game? Sign me up. I'll take the Canucks in this one. I think the Senators are probably going to also probably struggle to score. I'm going to sprinkle the team total under 2.5 at +160.

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