Vancouver Canucks vs. St. Louis Blues odds, picks and best bets

NHL betting analysis around the Vancouver Canucks vs. St. Louis Blues Wednesday matchup, with NHL odds, spreads and betting lines.

The St. Louis Blues and the Vancouver Canucks resume their Western Conference quarterfinals series for Game 5 on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We analyze the Blues-Canucks NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.

Canucks vs. Blues: Projected starting goalies

Jacob Markstrom vs. Jake Allen

Markstrom has been steady since the restart, and he has yielded three or fewer goals in each of his four starts in this series. The difference for the Canucks has been on offense, as they averaged 4.5 goals per game in the first two outings, and just 1.5 goals per game in the previous two. If that lack of offense continues, the defending champs are going to keep winning in this series.

Head coach Craig Berube made the choice to go back to Allen for Game 4, and it paid off in spades. After Allen picked up the overtime win in Game 3, he was right back at it and winning again. It was not an easy choice for Berube, getting away from Jordan Binnington, who led the team to 16 wins and a Stanley Cup last season. But a 2-0 series hole meant desperate times call for desperate measures, and the veteran Allen has answered the bell. Allen is 2-0 in this series, and 2-1 with a 1.20 GAA and .961 SV% in three starts since play resumed.

Place a legal NHL bet on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM. Bet now!

Canucks vs. Blues: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Blues 3, Canucks 1

Moneyline (ML)

The BLUES (-143) are back on track with consecutive wins to pull even and make this a best-of-three series. The Canucks (+120) have seen the offensive lights go out as Berube’s change to Allen in goal has been a masterful move. St. Louis is playing with that championship confidence again, and you have to keep backing them in this decisive Game 5.

New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Blues to win Game 5 returns a net profit of $6.99, while the Canucks fetch a profit of $12 on a $10 wager if they win.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The BLUES (-1.5, +190) are worth a small-unit play, as you can nearly double up. After some defensive lapses and shaky tendy play in the first two games, they’re back, and Allen is leading the way to victories.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 5.5 (-139) has cashed in the past two games, with a total of nine goals on the board in the two St. Louis wins. They have tightened up their backcheck, defense and goaltending, and under bettors will get a great value as long as the total doesn’t go back down to a flat five.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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St. Louis Blues vs. Vancouver Canucks odds, picks and best bets

NHL betting analysis around the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks Monday matchup, with NHL odds, spreads and betting lines.

The Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues continue their Western Conference quarterfinals for Game 4 on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We analyze the Blues-Canucks NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.

Blues vs. Canucks: Projected starting goalies

Jordan Binnington vs. Jacob Markstrom

Binnington is expected to be back between the pipes for Game 4 in the back-to-back situation despite the fact Jake Allen backstopped the team’s only victory of the series so far on Sunday. The Stanley Cup winning goaltender Binnington hasn’t won in four starts since the restart, losing Game 1 and 2 of this series, as well as two round-robin games against Colorado and Vegas. In fact, Binnington has allowed four or more goals in each of his past three outings. Head coach Craig Berube couldn’t possibly go right back to Allen again for Game 4, could he?

Markstrom has been rock steady in goal for the upstart Canucks, although is five-start winning streak came to an end in Sunday’s Game 3 overtime loss. Still, he hasn’t lost in regulation since Game 1 of the qualifying round against the Minnesota Wild, and he has allowed three or fewer goals in six of his seven starts since the restart. You need a hot goalie if you’re going to make noise in the hockey playoffs, and Markstrom is a big reason why the ‘Nucks are up 2-1 in this series.

Place a legal NHL bet on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM. Bet now!

Blues vs. Canucks: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Monday at 8:00 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Blues 3, Canucks 2

Moneyline (ML)

The BLUES (-143) are champions, and they showed up with their backs against the wall in a 2-0 series hole. It wasn’t pretty, but they found a way against a hot goalie in Game 3 to get back into the series. There’s more where that came from, too.

The Canucks (+120) have been an amazing story, and are making life tough for the defending champs on every faceoff, every puck battle and every shift. It’s been one of the best series in all of hockey, and the margin of error is razor thin. St. Louis is going to get it done again in Game 4, and we’ll have a nice little best-of-three to figure out a winner, but not after another close game Monday.

New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Blues to win Game 4 returns a net profit of $7, while the Canucks fetch a profit of $12 on a $10 wager if they win.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Blues (-1.5, +195) cannot be trusted on the puck line just yet. They’re not playing their best hockey, and Markstrom isn’t giving them anything easy. St. Louis should win in Game 4, but it might take overtime yet again. PASS.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 5.5 (-125) hit in Game 3 for the first time in this series. Binnington has played uncharacteristically poor, allowing four or more goals in each of his past three starts, so there is some concern playing the under with his recent stretch. But look for Binnington to step up and play his best outing since the restart. If not, don’t be surprised to see Berube tab Allen if the wheels come off early.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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