| NHL Pick: Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks |
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| Written by Scott Burgess | |||||||
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Wednesday, 12 March 2008
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 The Vancouver Canucks try to continue to climb the playoff ladder in the West tonight with a must win road game against the Anaheim Ducks. The Canucks have beaten the Ducks three straight meetings this season. Betway.com seems to favor the Ducks as 2.05 moneyline favs over the Canucks with the over/under posted at 5. Get your NHL Pick in now at Betway.com.The Canucks have won three straight after their most recent road win over the L.A. Kings 2-1 (OT). The Canucks are 3-0 SU against the Ducks. With a win over the Ducks, it will be the first sweep of the Ducks in 14 years. During their three game win streak they’ve outscored their opponents 12-6. They’ve averaged 2.80 GAG in their last five and their power play has scored only four goals in 34 tries. Goalie Roberto Luongo has a 1.67 GAA during Vancouver's three-game winning streak after going 0-2-2 with a 2.82 GAA in his previous four starts. He has been in net for two games against the Ducks this season, making 26 saves in the Canucks' 4-0 win on Nov. 27 and stopping 21 shots in a 2-1 victory on Dec. 30. He’s back to his superstar form. Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks with 26 goals, but has not scored in a season-high nine straight games. Sedin has scored in each of his last two games against the Ducks, giving him three goals and three assists during a five-game point streak versus them. The Canucks are 16-13-0-5 away from home and they sit in eighth place in the West, one point behing Minnesota. The Ducks will be looking for their eighth straight win at home tonight. They recently lost on the road to the Phoenix Coyotes 2-3 (SO) as 135-moneyline road favs. This was the Coyotes first series sweep over the Ducks and the Canucks can do the same tonight. The Ducks are 14-2 SU at home in their last sixteen. They’ve outscored their opponents 24-11 during their home streak, killing off 28 of 30 penalty kills during that span. Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is 10-2-2 with a 1.34 GAA and two shutouts since Feb. 1. He has lost each of his last two starts against the Canucks, though, posting a 3.97 GAA in those contests. Top goal scorer Ryan Getzlaf scored his third goal in his last 21 games. He has one goal in three games against Vancouver this season. Get your NHL Pick in now! Recent Trends:
GAME: Vancouver Canucks (35-24-1-9) at Anaheim Ducks (39-25-1-7) DATE/TIME: Wednesday, March 12 - 10:00 PM EST LINE: Betway TOTAL: 5 PICK: Under 5 The Bottom Line: The Canucks offense has been rejuvenated by youth and speed. They’re able to score goals and stop them. Despite the Ducks excellent home record, they haven’t been themselves lately. Expect a low scoring game with the Canucks getting the series sweep. Get your NHL Pick in a Betway.com.                        |
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