Liontips
Washington vs. Vancouver: NHL Match Prediction
Washington returns to the US capital after a defeat in the suburbs of New York from Buffalo. On January 9, Alexander Ovechkin's team will try to beat the guests from Canada, who continue to fight for a place in the playoff zone. The Canucks were left without their attack leaders, but this did not stop the killer whales from scoring points at the beginning of the new year. Last season, the teams exchanged away victories. Who will win this time? Read our betting tip
Command Analysis
Washington Capitals
USACurrent form
Washington still leads the East, but the competitors are not too far from the Caps' positions. The team from the US capital has scored 56 points in 40 games and is in first place in the division, ahead of New Jersey by three points. The hosts have three games in hand, so they can create an even more impressive handicap from the Devils if they continue to win. The Capitals continue to alternate losses and victories at the beginning of the new calendar year. They scored points in games against Boston (3:1), Minnesota (3:4, B) and the Rangers (7:4), playing on their home court, and in the last meeting they could not cope with the onslaught of Buffalo on the road (3:4, B). The Washiqs came back three times during the match, but ultimately lost anyway.
The capital team periodically has problems with converting moments, but gradually everything is getting back to normal, and the leader of the hosts is just getting into shape. Alexander Ovechkin began his performances without any warm-up after returning to the lineup, scoring four goals in six games. The captain of the Vashikov team is approaching Wayne Gretzky's record and has already scored 19 goals against opponents.
Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren regularly replace each other at the last line of defense. The goalies have blocked only 90.2% of shots and often let their partners down. Right now, the goalie line is the hosts' weakest point. Nevertheless, the lice's defenders earn their money well, so on average, the capital team concedes only 2.70 times per season.
Disqualifications and injuries
Sonny Milano, Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie will not take part in the upcoming fight.
Interesting trends for betting
- Washington is averaging just 28 shots per game.
The Capitals don't shoot a lot, but they convert 13 percent of their shots.
- The capital team earns 8.25 minutes of penalty time per match.
The hosts are often sent off, but play well in the minority and cope with many of their opponents' attempts
Vancouver Canucks
CanadaCurrent form
Vancouver had already started to slow down before the Christmas break and has now dropped to eighth place in the West. The team led by Rick Tocchet has 45 points after 39 starts and has not yet been able to secure a place in the top eight in the conference. The Canucks, as we have already said, are currently far from their best form and have lost seven games out of nine. The visiting leaders Elias Petersson and Jack Hughes were injured, and at the beginning of 2025, the killer whales have not won a single victory in regulation time. On the road, they played against Calgary (1:3) and Seattle (4:3, B), and lost to Nashville (0:3) at home. Before the trip to the US capital, the club from the province of British Columbia lost to Montreal in Quebec (4:5, OT). The teams played an extremely productive match, where the Canadiens were slightly more successful.
The Canadians have seriously lost their reliability in their own half of the ice. In the last five games, they have allowed 19 goals, and since December 16, the red light behind the Vancouver net has been on at least three times per game. Kevin Lankinen often appears on the ice from the first seconds. The Finn has stopped 90.23% of shots and made three shutouts in 27 starts.
Jack Hughes (8+26) and Elias Petersson (10+18) are injured and it is unclear whether such important forwards will be able to play in Washington. Hughes is a key link in the Canucks' offense, in addition to this, he takes to the ice with the captain's stripe. In the absence of leaders, all hopes of fans will be on Jake DeBrusk (17+12).
Disqualifications and injuries
Filip Hronek and Dakota Joshua will not help their partners in the capital. The condition of Thatcher Demko is in question.
Interesting trends for betting
- The Orcas win 50.2% of their faceoffs.
The visitors are doing well at the point and winning face-offs more often.
- The team receives an average of 9.31 minutes of penalty time.
Rick Tocchet's men are sent off more than four times per match on average.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In the last six games involving Washington, the first period has been productive.
1.78Bet 3rd period: Vancouver to score
The Killer Whales scored in the third period in four of their five games.
1.57Tip and bets
Washington has slowed down a bit and can't put together a long winning streak. Yes, the Capitals still regularly score points, but each point is hard for Alexander Ovechkin's team. As for Vancouver, the Canucks don't look too bad even without their leaders. The Orcas have earned points in five of their previous seven games, but they have often been let down by weak defense. Rick Tocchet's men play a little more cohesively on the road, so we suggest betting on a plus handicap for the visitors.
Prediction - Vancouver win with Asian handicap (+1) for 1.69
Bet on individual total
Vancouver scores 3.22 goals on the road and generally feels a little more confident on the road. In five out of seven games, the Orcas have scored at least three goals per game and are quite capable of beating the hosts' not-so-reliable goalies. Washington is trying to score as much as possible, but often forgets about playing in its own zone. We believe in at least three accurate shots from the Canadians.
We bet on Vancouver's individual total over 2.5 goals with odds of 1.95
Total Bet
The last matches between the teams were not productive, but last season Washington played a completely different hockey. The Capitals are much brighter in the current regular season and score more, but they also miss a lot. Vancouver plays a little better in attack on the road and should cope with the Caps' defense. We believe in at least six goals in this match.
We take the total over 5.5 pucks with the coefficient 1.82
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