Canucks Can Crush Canadiens

Canucks vs. Canadiens, 7:30 ET

The football season is now officially in playoff mode for both College and Professional levels. That means that there will be more attention on the meaningfulness of each game, but the amount of games will continue to dwindle. Luckily, there is hockey for us to bet on, college hoops, the NBA, and soon, MLB will be back in business. It hasn't been my best stretch of hockey currently, but overall for the season I've done well. Let's place a wager on the game between the Canucks and Canadiens. 

The Canucks come into this game with a decent 18-12-8 record for the year, but they've done the bulk of their good work on the road. Away games have resulted in an 11-4-2 mark for the Canucks this campaign. It seems almost impossible to me that a team could have eight overtime losses at this point in the season, but I suppose it is a testament to the Canucks being good, but not being able to close the games out when they need to. They are averaging three goals per game, and allowing about the same amount. They don't tend to get too many shots off as they only take about 26 per game, but they do a nice job of limiting opportunities as well, allowing 28 shots to opponents. Kevin Lankinen is likely to be the goalie for the Canucks tonight. He's been very good for them with a 15-7-4 record, 2.54 goals allowed per game average, and a .908 save percentage. He has allowed two or fewer goals in six of his last 10 appearances. 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 22: Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates with Eric Staal #21, and Jake Allen #34 after Staal's goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Semifinals at T-Mobile Arena on June 22, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Canadiens defeated the Golden Knights 4-1. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)

Although not as nice of a record as the Canucks, the Canadiens have matched the win total of their counterpart for tonight's matchup at 18. Overall, their record is 18-18-3, so instead of going to overtime to lose the games, they just lose them in regulation. They don't have as drastic of a split as the Canucks do, but are slightly better at home, going 10-7-2 on their home ice. I wouldn't consider them significantly better at home, but I do give them a slight bump as it appears they win or at least keep the games a bit closer when at home. For the year, they are scoring just under three goals per game, and allowing 3.36 goals to opponents. They are also out shot by four shots per game, which is a pretty substantial difference. They are likely to have Sam Montembeault in the net tonight. He sits with a 14-15-2 record, allowing 2.91 goals against per game, and has a .900 save percentage. 

While the records for these two teams are pretty close, I don't think the goalies are. And, just like baseball and starting pitchers, they can make all of the difference, especially for a sports bettor. In this one, I don't think the total is worth touching, but I do like the Canucks to win this game and will take them on the moneyline. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024