Vancouver vs Ottawa: the Senators to Lose on a Tough Road Match

Prediction for the NHL Vancouver vs Ottawa match, which will take place on April 20 at 05:00. Who will be stronger? Check the teams’ conditions and expert betting tips. Several betting options are available!

Vancouver continues to fight for a playoff spot. Bruce Boudreau's squad is showing great playing at the end of the regular season, which can fix all their previous failures. Indeed, the start of the season was extremely disappointing, but gradually they began to rectify the situation. In the last six meetings the squad have not lost a single point, although it seemed that they have almost no chance for the Cup battles. At the moment, Vancouver occupies tenth place in the Western Conference standings, but they have a game in hand so the battle for the top-8 is still ahead.

Ottawa has been among the NHL outsiders for the past few years, with no tournament objectives. This regular season was no exception, as they began to lose points from the very beginning and their occasional bursts of good results were short-lived. For example, D.J. Smith's team snapped a three-game winning streak in early April, but they only managed to win twice in their next seven meetings and suffered seven losses. The Red and Blacks are still rebuilding the team, so it's naive to expect them to fight for high places, but the process has been too long. Right now the Senators are sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings and dream of taking a vacation soon.

Vancouver and Ottawa are not currently in the playoffs, but the Canucks still have a chance at a Cup battle and a very good one, while the Senators have long lost any chance to fight for the top-8 in the East. What's more, the Blue and Greens are on a tremendous run right now, winning their last six games while D.J. Smith's wards had lost five times in seven meetings. The home team is the favorite.

• Vancouver has not lost a point in six straight games.
• Vancouver has won its last four home games in a row.
• Ottawa won four of its last six away games.
• Ottawa has lost to Vancouver in six of their last seven away head-to-head meetings.

Not only has Vancouver been beating everyone, but they've also been looking good offensively. In the previous six meetings, Bruce Boudreau's team scored 32 goals (5.33 average per game). Ottawa has serious defensive issues, as evidenced by their 21 goals conceded over the last six games (3.50). In the only battle, this season Red and Blacks missed six pucks, so the optimal option looks like an individual total of Vancouver over 3.5.

Vasili Podkolzin is one of the main Vancouver stars. The young Russian forward scored 8 points (4 goals + 4 assists) in last 5 games. For comparison, he had only 17 points (10 goals + 7 assists) in 68 previous games. Obviously, now the 20-year-old player is in his best form for the entire overseas career, so more and more often goes to the first lineup. It is worth looking at a bet on the total over 0.5 points of Vasily Podkolzin.