The Vancouver Canucks have not been too busy lately. There are two sides to that proposition. One is that after a hiatus, they stood to come back pretty rusty. The other is that they would be more well-rested in this hectic NHL season and might be less banged-up as well.

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Even though it does not look as if the Canucks will be a playoff team in the West Division, their record is not horrible; not by a long shot. But they were certainly humbled the other night by the only team in the North that sits below them, so we expect that there will be a considerable degree of intensity as they meet up with the Ottawa Senators once again.

Game time is 10:08 PM ET at the Rogers Arena. Which way will we go on Saturday night?

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When: 10:08 PM ET (Saturday)

Money Line: Canucks -140 / Senators +120

Total: Over 6 Goals -110 / Under 6 Goals -110

Puck Line: Canucks -1.5 Goals (+170) / Senators +1.5 (-200)

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The Canucks have scored fewer goals than all but one team in the NHL this season. But their offense was pretty rough on the Senators in their initial encounters. In effect, they played a three-game series in four nights at the Rogers Arena, outscoring Ottawa by a 16-3 margin.

But a month and a half later it was something of a different story. Even though Vancouver still won those two games, played in Canada’s capital city, they were both 3-2 decisions that were tied going into extra time (one was a Canucks’ overtime victory, the other came in a shootout).

And then on Thursday night Ottawa got a little payback; Matt Murray was perfect with 31 saves as the Senators won it 3-0.

A couple of notes on that game. The Canucks came up empty on the power play in what was a skirmish-filled contest, while the Senators scored two power play goals in the first period. So there was but one score in 5v5 situations.

Ottawa’s record is 17-26-4, good for 38 points and seventh-place in the seven-team North, which is composed of Canadian-based teams. There was a point where they were 2-13, but they have been only slightly under the .500 mark ever since. The fact is, the Sens have won four of their last five, and those wins have not come all against a single “weak-sister” team either. They have beaten Winnipeg, Montreal, Calgary and now Vancouver.

The Canucks are one of the teams that has been affected severely by the NHL’s COVID protocol, and to say their schedule has been disrupted would be a vast understatement. In fact, they did not play from March 24 until April 18.

During that time, center J.T. Miller, the team’s second-leading scorer, was quoted as saying, “It’s kind of crazy. I know everyone has a job to do but to expect our entire team to be ready to play in one practice and a pre-game skate is a bit hard to comprehend.”

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But Vancouver was hardly rusty when it got back into action. The Canucks beat Toronto twice in a row, scoring eight regulation goals in the process (they also had an overtime goal against the Leafs).

At 18-19-3, bettors can debate whether Vancouver has a chance to be one of the top four teams in the North. They are ten points behind fourth-place Montreal, but have five games in hand.

On an overall basis, Murray’s save percentage (.892) and goals-against (3.39) are well below par, and there has been sufficient talk about whether Ottawa should be “tanking” at this stage of the season. But obviously they are not tanking. In fact, they are taking steps in the other direction. And Murray, who had been out for 34 days, has a .967 save percentage in these last four games.

Connor Brown has eleven goals in his last 12 games. In today’s NHL, that classifies as “red hot,” even if those games have taken place over quite a period of time.

Drake Batherson, a 22-year-old center who has 16 goals, says, “We’re having a ton of fun coming to the rink every day.” And that may be the best way to describe what’s happening. The Senators are not getting to the playoffs. But they are letting it all hang out with their kiddie corps.

And although Vancouver’s games in hand make it kind of moot, it may not be a small thing for now that the Senators can get out of last place with a victory on Saturday.

They don’t shape up as a bad underdog in this one, and may even be worth a play at the +194 price in the regulation three-way prop.

The Play: OTTAWA (+120)