Canucks vs. Ducks NHL Line & Handicapping
Canucks Try for the Near-Impossible – A Win in Anaheim
Perhaps the biggest story in the NHL so far this season has been the play of the #1 overall team the Anaheim Ducks who hope to move into third on the league’s all-time list with a 22 game point streak at home to start the season.
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Vancouver (24-14-3-6) at Anaheim (35-8-1-4)
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Broadcast: SNET-P, FS-W
Canucks vs. Ducks Betting Lines
Vancouver Canucks +1½ -190 +156 Ov 5½ +109
Anaheim Ducks -1½ +165 -172 Un 5½ -120
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The Ducks have won seven straight games overall. Vancouver, coming off a tough, hard-fought 1-0 loss at Los Angeles will be the latest team to try snap the 19-0-2 streak and they come in the midst of an unflattering 1-3-3 stretch.
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The Vancouver Canucks could be hanging their heads after losing their sixth game in seven tries Monday night but the team has to be encouraged about the way they played versus the Kings – they were short-handed nearly half the game and still carried the action. Truth be told, the Canucks deserved a better fate than the one they received Monday night.
Still, the Canucks issues scoring continues to plague them – they have scored two or fewer times in nine of the last 12 games. The Canucks hover in the middle of the pack in terms of goal scoring – 2.56 per game but they certainly aren’t getting much production as of late.
You have to search long and hard to see any Canuck on a Hot List – Jason Garrison is as close as it gets and he has three points in his last four games. It’s a good thing for defense and goaltending or the Canucks would likely have slid out of a playoff spot by now.
The Canucks expect Roberto Luongo back soon from his ankle injury but he is still day-to-day. Eddie Lack has played OK in relief and after a brief hiccup at this point last week he has allowed just one goal in each of his past two games while recording a terrific .961 save percentage in those games.
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The Anaheim Ducks lead the NHL overall standings by five points and are currently enjoying a 9-1-0 stretch. Everything is going well for this team offensively and defensively and they could get Ryan Getzlaf back from a one game absence after he blocked a shot two games back.
Goaltender Jonas Hiller is absolutely on fire – 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals against average last week and a .941 save percentage. He has won 14 straight games, which ties the second-longest in League history with Tom Barrasso – that streak dates back to December 3! He is coming off his third shutout of the season – a 1-0 win over Detroit Sunday – he should get the start Wednesday.
The Anaheim offense has also been terrific lately. On the season they average 3.31 goals per game. Center Andrew Cogliano has points in five of his past seven games (4-1-5) and six goals in his past 10, Kyle Palmieri has points in five of his past seven (2-4-6), Corey Perry has five points in four games, Teemu Selanne has three points in three games and Dustin Penner has two points in two games. Anaheim is deep, they are talented and are a handful to deal with on a nightly basis.
Dave’s FREE NHL Betting Prediction
A few trends to consider:
• Under is 7-1-1 in VAN last 9 vs. Pacific.
• Under is 6-1-2 in VAN last 9 road games.
• VAN are 6-16 in their last 22 vs. Pacific.
• ANA are 38-13 in their last 51 home games.
• ANA are 36-15 in their last 51 overall.
• ANA are 12-5 in their last 17 Wed. games.
• Over is 8-3-2 in the last 13 meetings in Anaheim.
• Over is 15-6-1 in the last 22 meetings.
These two teams played January 5 in a game that Vancouver led but was being outplayed badly. But Nick Bonino scored the tying score for the Ducks with 1:27 left in regulation, and Corey Perry recorded the winner with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime for a 4-3 victory. It speaks to the depth and the dangerous nature of the Ducks. They are simply never, ever out of a game.
Do I see a good, competitive game Wednesday – Yes. Do I expect Vancouver to snap the third most impressive home points streak in history – no! Anaheim is virtually untouchable on home ice and will remain so for the time being.
Pick: Anaheim Ducks -172
