Canucks vs. Golden Knights Odds
| Canucks Odds | +105 |
| Golden Knights Odds | -125 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -115o / -105u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, April 2 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
The Knights are beginning to look like the team that won the Stanley Cup last spring. They enter this matchup off an excellent 3-0-1 road trip, where all four games featured a playoff atmosphere. They will look to avoid a letdown at home, where they own a record of 23-11-2.
The Canucks are in strong form as well, with a mark of 6-3-1 over their last 10 games. They sit five points ahead of the Oilers in the Pacific Division race. Winning that race should mean avoiding a first-round date with the Knights, so the Canucks should be well motivated the rest of the way.
Continue reading for my Canucks vs Golden Knights prediction for Tuesday night.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have proven to have the defensive prowess of a cup contender recently. With superstar Thatcher Demko on the sidelines, they allowed only 1.83 goals against per game in 12 March games. They allowed just 2.58 xGA/60 over that stretch, which was the fourth-best mark in the league.
Head coach Rick Tocchet set out to make the Canucks a far more accountable defensive side this season — he has clearly succeeded in doing so, and that is the biggest reason why he will likely take home the Jack Adams Award.
The Canucks, however, have quietly had a tough time generating offense against quality opponents of late. Since the All-Star break, they have averaged just 2.14 goals per game in 14 matchups against teams that are currently in playoff position.
They lost 3-2 and 3-1 to the Kings and Stars, respectively, in two playoff-type matchups. You could argue that the Canucks could have found better results in either matchup, but the point remains that their offense hasn't produced versus good teams lately.
Vancouver generated 3.31 xGF/60 in March though, which suggests it is due for an offensive uptick.
Casey DeSmith is likely to be the Canucks' starting goaltender on Tuesday after resting on Sunday versus Anaheim. He has played to a +2.2 GSAx and .900 save % across 26 appearances this season.
Vegas Golden Knights
With their 3-0-1 western road swing, the Knights answered a lot of questions about their lengthy sample of relatively bad play.
The Blues and Wild were both playing with their seasons on the line, and Vegas showed championship mettle by grinding out two overtime wins. The Knights bested a desperate Jets side looking to snap a four-game losing streak as well. The lone loss came in overtime of a back-to-back versus the red-hot Predators, a game in which the Knights had third-string goaltender Jiri Patera in goal.
Over their last 10 games, the Knights have played to an expected goal percentage of 55.75. They have allowed only 27.97 shots against per 60 in that span, and have clearly upped the level of intensity compared to what we saw throughout most of December through February.
While the Knights have upped their urgency level ahead of the playoffs, playing at closer to full health has been the more notable causation of the turnaround in form.
Alex Pietrangelo looked good in his return on Saturday. With him back in the mix, Vegas has a completely healthy defensive core, offering a unit that looks downright scary.
Tomas Hertl practiced with the team on Monday and he will surely be ready to play the first game of the postseason at a minimum.
Logan Thompson will likely get the start on Tuesday. He has played to a +8.9 GSAx and .911 save % across 41 appearances.
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Canucks vs. Golden Knights
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Canucks have become a defensive juggernaut, and that strength is the greatest reason why they could do damage this spring. They should look to lean on their sharp defensive game in a tough road atmosphere on Tuesday. With that said, they have not generated meaningful offense against good teams lately.
In 14 straight games versus playoff opponents, the Canucks have not won a single game in which they allowed three or more goals.
Considering the style of hockey the Canucks have displayed recently, they are definitely a live underdog. Betting them to win the game straight up at +110 is reasonable, but I believe there is more value backing the Knights' team total to stay under 2.5 at +135.
Pick: Golden Knights Team Total Under 2.5 (+135; DraftKings) | Play to +125
