The Vancouver Canucks are officially in free fall.
Following another embarrassing defeat, this time at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in which they conceded seven goals for the second consecutive game, Vancouver is officially stuck in reverse with no stop in sight.
The Canucks, now floored at 5-8-2 and seventh in the Pacific Division, must someway, somehow pick themselves up and immediately try to right this rapidly sinking ship when they visit the Anaheim Ducks (8-4-3) on Sunday in the latter half of their back-to-back.
Vancouver recently hosted the Ducks on November 9th at Rogers Arena, in which they fell victim to another loss. The Canucks have conceded 14 goals over their last two losses since that subsequent original defeat to Anaheim on Tuesday, while the Ducks were able to score seven goals of their own in a 7-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
These trends obviously show two hockey clubs at completely different levels right now.
The Ducks currently posses the fourth most lethal offence in the NHL after Saturday’s round of matches, sitting around an average of 3.5 goals per game. A team with this level of potency is exactly who the Canucks do not need or want to face at this current point in time.
Vancouver, currently allowing an average of three goals per outing, accompanied by their league worst 62.8% penalty kill, must rally immediately or be faced with another slaughtering.
After Thatcher Demko conceded seven goals last night, not that they all were his fault, Jaroslav Halak will most certainly get the start on Sunday night in the Honda Center.
Expect the Ducks to roll with starter John Gibson, who was just recently awarded the NHL’s third star of the week.
The betting odds for Sunday’s matchup between the Ducks and Canucks are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook, the official betting partner of FanSided.
Ducks vs. Canucks Odds and Totals:
Moneyline:
Ducks -130
Canucks +115
Total:
5.5 goals (over -105 // under -115)
Puckline:
Ducks -1.5 at +180
Canucks +1.5 at -210
Ducks vs. Canucks Prediction:
Yesterday, we told everyone to hammer the over 5.5 goals bet for Vancouver’s game against Vegas last night, and they exactly doubled that total with 11 goals in the game.
Today, we’re making that exact same bet. Despite the most recent matchup between these two teams on Tuesday resulting in only five goals total, expect that to change dramatically. The Canucks are reeling, and have given up 14 goals in their last 120 minutes of game time, while the Ducks are red hot and rested. With Vancouver on the second half of a back-to-back with both games being on the road, they should be quite ‘leggy’ to open up Sunday’s game.
Given the abysmal form and state of the squad, we should be seeing lots of goals.
Pick: Over 5.5 goals at -105
What are your thoughts on the Canucks’ current situation? What bets will you be placing for the game against the Ducks on Sunday? Let us know your thoughts and feelings down below in the comment section!