Canucks vs. Penguins prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

The Canucks continue their long road trip as we continue our NHL odds series with a Canucks-Penguins prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Vancouver Canucks continue their long road trip as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Canucks-Penguins prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Canucks enter the game sitting at 27-11-3 on the year. That is good for first place in the Pacific Division as the Canucks have won four of their last five. Last time out, they faced the New York Islanders. Filip Hronek scored in the first period to give the Canucks the 1-0 lead. Quinn Hughes made it 2-0 before the end of the period. In the second, Elias Pettersson scored his 20th of the year to make it 3-0, but Brock Nelson scored on the power play to make it 3-1. Tyler Myers then made it 4-1 before the end of the period. In the third, Brock Nelson scored again, but the Canucks would add one more, and they would win 5-2.

Meanwhile, the Penguins come into the game at 20-15-4 on the year. They have won five of their last seven games and faced the Flyers the last time out. The Penguins struck first with a goal from Rickard Rakell on the power play just 45 seconds into the game. Then, Erik Karlsson made it 2-0 before Owen Tippett scored on the power play to make it 2-1 before the end of the period. In the second, Chad Ruhwedel scored his first of the year, and then Evgeni Malkin added a goal in the third as the Penguins won 4-1.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Canucks-Penguins Odds

Vancouver Canucks: +1.5 (-210

Moneyline:  +112

Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+172)

Moneyline: -134

Over: 6.5 (-118)

Under: 6.5 (-104)

How to Watch Canucks vs. Penguins

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: NHLPP/ESPN+

Why The Canucks Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Canucks are scoring 3.90 goals per game this year, which is tops in the NHL this year. The leading goal scorer for the team is Brock Boeser. He comes in with 25 goals on the year and 19 assists, for 44 points. The total is fourth on the team, but he also leads the team in power-play goals. Boeser comes in with nine goals on the power play this year. Meanwhile, J.T. Miller leads the way in terms of points this year and is sixth in the NHL in points. He is third on the team with 19 goals while also sitting second on the team with 36 assists. That gives him 55 points this year, while he also has seven goals and 15 assists on the power play this year.

Meanwhile, Elias Pettersson is also top ten in the NHL in points per game this year. He comes in with 20 goals and 33 assists this year, good for 53 points on the year. He also has six goals and 12 assists on the power play this year. Finally, Quinn Hughes is also over 50 points this year. Hughes comes in leading the team in assists while playing from the blue line. He comes in with 11 goals and 40 points this year, good for 51 total points.

The Canucks enter the game 12th in the NHL on the power play this year, converting on 23.1 percent of their chances this year. Meanwhile, they have struggled some when a man is down, sitting 23rd in the league with a 77.5 percent success rate on the year.

Thatcher Demko is expected to start in this game. He is 20-8-1 on the year with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. In his four games in January, he is 3-1-0. He has a 3.04 goals-against average so far this month, and a .912 save percentage this month. The major part of his success is the fact the Canucks have scored 20 goals in his four starts this month.

Why The Penguins Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Penguins sit 20th in the NHL this year in goals per game, scoring 3.05 goals per game on the season. The leading scorer this year is Sidney Crosby. Crosby comes into the game with 22 goals this year and 19 assists, good for 41 points this year. He has six goals and four assists on the year on the power play. His 41 points are second on the team right behind Jake Guentzel. Guentzel comes into the game with 18 goals and 26 assists this year, good for 44 points. He has three goals and seven assists on the power play this year.

Meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin has been solid this year as well. He is third on the team in points, while also sitting third in goals. He has 15 goals this year with 20 assists, good for 35 points. The Penguins also get a lot of help from the blue line on the offensive side of the ice. Both Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are having solid years. Karlsson comes in with seven goals and 21 assists, good for 28 points this year. Meanwhile, Letang has three goals and 23 assists for 26 points this year.

The Penguins sit 25th in the NHL on the power play this year. They have a 14.7 percent success rate while scoring 19 power-play goals this year. On the penalty kill, the Penguins are tenth in the NHL with an 82.5 percent success rate.

Tristan Jarry is expected to be in goal today for the Penguins. He is 11-12-2 on the year with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He has appeared just twice in January, allowing six goals in the two games, but not playing two full games. Jarry has a 5.05 goals-against average in those two games while having a .846 save percentage in those two outings.

Final Canucks-Penguins Prediction & Pick

The Penguins have been hit-and-miss in their recent games. In their last four games, they have gone 2-2 allowing 13 goals while scoring 14 goals. Meanwhile, the Canucks have been scoring wonderfully as of late. In their last ten games, they have won seven of them. In those seven wins, they have scored four or more goals in all of them. Further, in six of those games, they scored five or more goals. When the Canucks have been scoring well, they have been dominant. The Penguins are a solid defensive team, but they will not be able to slow down the Canucks in this one. Further, they do not have the offense to keep up and take a high-scoring win.

Final Canucks-Penguins Prediction & Pick: Canucks ML (+112)