Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Each day, the Last Word on Hockey team will break down every game and give our NHL predictions for each game. There is only one game on the slate for Monday, January 25th as the Ottawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks.
NHL Predictions
Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks
Head-to-Head: Senators 0 – Canucks 0
The Ottawa Senators have begun an eight-game wrong trip, six of which go through Western Canada. After a tough loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, where they competed hard, the Senators fell by a score of 6-3. While most have picked the Senators to finish seven out of seven in the Canadian division, they are going to make life difficult for the better teams in the division. The Senators are known as the “Pesky Sens” for a reason. It will be interesting to see how this young team responds to being on the road for that long. The Senators are talented too with players like Brady Tkachuk, Colin White, Thomas Chabot and Joshua Norris. This team will compete hard every night and this is a good matchup against a struggling Canucks team.
If Matt Murray plays in these games, the Senators have a chance to steal a victory or two. As we saw in their first game against Toronto, they can play with any team in the division. However, it is different when you are getting up for your rival. Hard to match that intensity night in and night out.
For the Vancouver Canucks, the weight of expectations is clearly burdening them. As head coach Travis Green told the media before the season started it does matter what his team did in the playoff bubble, it is a whole new season now. And he is right. The Canucks are struggling out of the gate. Elias Pettersson is finally on the board with his first goal of the season. Hopefully, for the Canucks, this will get him out of the funk he is in. Braden Holtby is adjusting to a new team after being with the Washington Capitals for so long. Defensively, the Canucks are beat up and missing key players who left via free agency.
Offensively the talent is there with Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller and Nils Hoglander. The Canucks are in for a battle, but they can turn things around with a win against Ottawa.
Prediction: Canucks Win 4-3
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
