Golden Knights vs. Canucks Odds
| Golden Knights Odds | -140 |
| Canucks Odds | +115 |
| Over/Under | 6 (+100 / -120) |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Golden Knights will head to Vancouver for a game with massive playoff implications on Tuesday. With the Kings dropping three consecutive contests, the door has cracked open for the Knights to sneak into the postseason after a tumultuous campaign.
With three consecutive wins themselves, the Canucks aren't entirely dead in the postseason race but will essentially need a win here to stay alive.
This is the third meeting between these teams in the last nine days, with Vancouver managing a 1-0-1 record so far. Can they find two must-have points here?
Canucks Defense Has Been Impressive
Whether analytically the Canucks deserve to be or not, they have been one of the NHL's toughest units to score on for a now massive sample size of coach Bruce Boudreau's tenure.
Over 43 games with Boudreau behind the bench, the Canucks have allowed just 2.58 Goals Against per game, which is among the best marks in the NHL over that span.
They have played to that strength of late, having allowed only six goals against over the last four games, including four total to the Knights in last week's home-and-home set.
Thatcher Demko will get the start as he is looking to find another massive effort and keep his club's playoff hopes on life support. Demko owns a +15.8 Goals Saved Above Expected rating with a .917 Save % in 58 games played this season.
The Canucks have actually generated offensively quite effectively over their last 10 games, playing to a 3.40 xGF/60 rate. This does not look like a likely spot for that to continue as the now healthier Knights have some crucial pieces on the back end back in the lineup and will likely bring a playoff-type effort Tuesday.
Golden Knights Surging of Late
The Golden Knights enter this crucial showdown as winners in six of their last seven contests. Offensively, the Knights have been in somewhat of a surge and managed another big output Saturday in Arizona.
They have generated an eighth-best xGF/60 output over that time, but I would not expect them to generate as much as we have seen of late in this spot.
The Knights will roll in to Vancouver likely expecting a hard fought defensive battle, similar to what we saw when the Canucks kept Vegas in check last week.
Elite two-way forward and captain Mark Stone will travel with the team to Vancouver and could offer a massive boost in exactly the type of game expected here.
The Knights' blue-line is considerably more healthy now than it has been all season long, with just Nic Hague likely to miss this game out of the regular lineup.
Robin Lehner has been very strong since returning from injury. Lehner has posted quality play altogether yet again this season with a 7.8 Goals Saved Above Expected rating and a .909 Save % in 41 games played.
Golden Knights vs. Canucks Pick
We will see fewer totals around 6 and 6.5 entering the postseason, and far more totals of 5.5 and maybe even a few 5's again.
With this essentially a do-or-die spot for Vancouver and a similarly crucial game for Vegas, expect a playoff-type battle. We saw two tightly contested and hard fought games between these teams last week, with a combined 11 goals for an average of 5.5.
Lehner has been strong since returning from injury and battle against a guy in Demko who has carried the Canucks on this surge into relevancy since Travis Green's dismissal.
I am not expecting it to be easy to generate much at five-on-five in this game, and when those chances do come, Lehner and Demko certainly can be relied upon to make it tough for scorers.
At -115 for this game to stay Under 6 total goals, I see value and would play it down to -125.
Pick: Under 6 -115 (Play to -125)
