Canucks vs Senators

With Ottawa mired in a four-game skid and Vancouver winless in six (1-7-2 over its last 10), this matchup is less about riding momentum and more about finding which struggling side stabilizes first at five-on-five. The Canucks are dealing with the heavier injury load, with Thatcher Demko, Marco Rossi, Kiefer Sherwood, Filip Chytil, Teddy Blueger and Derek Forbort all on injured reserve or listed out, while Ottawa’s key absence is Linus Ullmark, forcing Leevi Merilainen and Hunter Shepard into a larger share of starts. Historically, though, Vancouver’s top-end talent has thrived in this matchup: Pettersson has piled up 22 points in 15 career games against the Senators and Brock Boeser has 19 points in 20, while Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk have consistently produced well versus the Canucks to keep Ottawa dangerous in its own barn. With both teams past the 41-game mark and clinging to varying degrees of playoff hope—Ottawa within touching distance of an Atlantic wild-card spot and Vancouver already chasing from the Pacific basement—motivation should be high, but the market is still pricing Ottawa around a 69 percent implied win probability at -225 despite its current form. That leaves the value side on Vancouver at +190, where I’m willing to lean into the variance and back the underdog to ride its star scorers and a decent 12-12-2 road profile to a steal on the road; I grade this Moneyline play a B for solid value but significant downside if the Canucks’ defensive issues persist. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:23

With Ottawa on that four-game losing streak and Vancouver winless in six, the defensive confidence on both benches is clearly fragile, which makes the total of 6 look a bit conservative even with the Over juiced. The Senators’ last 10 games have featured roughly three goals for and nearly four against per night, while the Canucks have managed just over two goals scored but about four allowed in the same span, and both sides are leaning on backup-caliber goaltending thanks to Demko and Ullmark being sidelined. Pettersson’s and Boeser’s track records of carving up Ottawa, combined with Stutzle, Tkachuk and Drake Batherson driving high-end offense for the Sens at home, point toward a game where the top sixes and power plays can trade chances in bunches, especially with Vancouver’s blue line thinned by injuries and Ottawa’s depth exposed in recent blowout losses. Past the midway point of the season, neither team is in a spot to sit back and nurse a low-event game when every point matters to stay in the postseason chase, which should keep tempo high and encourage coaches to lean heavily on their scoring lines. I’ll play Over 6 at -133 and grade it a B+, viewing it as a slightly more reliable angle than the side thanks to the combination of leaky defenses and elite forwards, even if there’s some push risk in a 4-2 type result. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:23

With Ottawa dropping four in a row and Vancouver stuck in that six-game winless spiral, taking the extra 1.5 goals with the underdog profiles better than trusting a slumping favorite to win by margin. Demko’s injury is a major concern for the Canucks, but Ullmark’s absence for Ottawa narrows the goaltending gap, and Vancouver’s 12-12-2 road record suggests it can stay competitive even when it doesn’t control play, especially against a Senators group that has mixed explosive offensive nights with defensive breakdowns during its current skid. Pettersson and Boeser have historically punished Ottawa, while Stutzle, Tkachuk and Claude Giroux give the Sens plenty of scoring punch to eke out a win yet still have the game decided by a single goal more often than not—a realistic scenario in a midseason matchup where both teams badly need at least a point to keep their playoff aspirations breathing. In what projects as a relatively tight contest between flawed but offensively capable rosters, I prefer Vancouver +1.5 at -125 on the puckline and grade it an A-, as it offers the best blend of high hit probability and reasonable return among the available options, even if it caps the upside compared with the Moneyline. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:23