Canucks vs. Jets Odds
| Canucks Odds | +148 |
| Jets Odds | -175 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-122 / +100) |
| Time | Monday, 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | NHL.TV |
A handful of NHL teams have already wrapped up their regular-season schedules, but the Vancouver Canucks are still grinding it out.
Following a COVID-19 outbreak that impacted most of the players and coaches, the Canucks have seven games left to play. They're heading into a back-to-back set on the road against the struggling Winnipeg Jets, who have three games left on their schedule.
It’s a battle of two teams that are each 2-8-0 in their last 10 games. Does anybody want to win this one?
Vancouver Canucks
Technically still alive in the North Division playoff race, Vancouver needs to win all seven of their remaining games and see the Montreal Canadiens lose their last if they're going to achieve the near-impossible.
The Canucks have not rolled over since getting back into game action under difficult circumstances three weeks ago. They won three of their first four games before the grind of the schedule caught up with them, triggering a six-game losing streak.
Last week, while facing the unstoppable force that was Connor McDavid on his quest for 100 points, they went a relatively respectable 1-3-0 and got better as the week went on. Head coach Travis Green, still without a contract for next season, is doing his best to get the most out of his players and extract positive outcomes wherever he can.
The Canucks have been without their superstar center Elias Pettersson since early March, when he was injured in Winnipeg. Their offense has suffered, but in their last two games against Edmonton, some secondary scoring has kicked in. As they try to make a good impression for next season, wherever they end up playing, grinding winger Jayce Hawryluk has picked up three points, and farmhand center Tyler Graovac is on a two-game scoring streak.
Rookie defenseman Jack Rathbone also made his NHL debut this week and eventually scored in his second NHL game. After a red-hot offensive run with the AHL Utica Comets, power forward Jonah Gadjovich has now served his one-week Canadian quarantine and should be set to make his NHL debut on Monday.
Green played Thatcher Demko in the last three games against Edmonton. With the back-to-backs in Winnipeg, he’ll likely split the goaltending duties. He may go back to Demko on Monday, as long as the Canucks’ faint playoff hopes are still alive.
Winnipeg Jets
For the first three months of this strange season, the Winnipeg Jets were the model of consistency. They steadily collected points and never lost back-to-back games.
At the April 12 trade deadline, they sat comfortably in second place in the North Division, one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers.
But after re-acquiring Paul Stastny in October and making the biggest in-season trade of the year when they acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Columbus Blue Jackets just 10 days into the season, Winnipeg and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff stayed relatively quiet on deadline day, only adding depth defenseman Jordie Benn.
Since then, Winnipeg's fortunes have plummeted. The Jets have gone 3-9-0, a stretch which included a seven-game losing streak. Since the deadline, they've dropped to 30th in the league in goals scored per game (2.17), down from sixth before the deadline (3.27). And despite the presence of reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, things aren't much better defensively. The Jets rank 24th in both goals against (3.33) and on the penalty kill (76.9%) since April 12.
The freefall hasn't been quite bad enough to push them out of playoff contention. With three games remaining, they're nine points behind the Oilers and have all but locked up the third spot in the North.
Canucks-Jets Best Bet
The Jets would love nothing more than to find their swagger again before their first-round series begins — most likely against the Oilers. But they're still without Nikolaj Ehlers, who had been having a dynamite season before being injured on April 24. Centers Adam Lowry and Blake Wheeler have also dealt with injury issues, but are gutting it out, while key forwards like Dubois and Kyle Connor have gone ice cold.
As for the Canucks, they'll be glad to be facing someone other than the Oilers and McDavid. And while they'll be playing their fifth game in eight nights on Monday, their battle level has been commendable in recent games.
At +151, the odds are giving the Canucks just under a 40% chance of picking up a win. The way the the two teams are positioned right now, with their identical records over their last 10 games, Monday's game looks like it could go either way.
If you're inclined, Vancouver looks like a good value bet as an underdog.
Pick: Canucks (+150 or better)
