The Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights face each other in Game 5 of their Western Conference Second-Round best-of-seven series Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton (on NBCSN). We analyze the Canucks-Golden Knights NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Canucks vs. Golden Knights: Projected starting goalies
Jacob Markstrom vs. Robin Lehner
Markstrom wasn’t as sharp as he has been in this postseason, and he picked a terrible time for his worst game since the restart. He allowed five goals on 33 shots in the 5-3 loss in Game 4, as the Golden Knights pushed the upstart Canucks to the brink of elimination. Markstrom also allowed five goals in Game 1, but the Game 4 result was more his fault. And he had offensive support, unlike the series opener when the offense was squelched.
Marc-Andre Fleury made his triumphant return to the crease, and like DJ Khaled, all he does is win. Fleury allowed three goals on 31 shots in the 5-3 victory, and it was his third win in as many starts since the restart, yet head coach Peter DeBoer had been leaning upon Lehner way more. To be fair, Lehner had been standing on his head, posting two shutouts in three starts in this series. He needed a breather, and Fleury was there to provide a break.
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Canucks vs. Golden Knights: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday at 8 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Golden Knights 4, Canucks 2
Moneyline (ML)
The Golden Knights (-223) are heavy favorites, and if anything, playing the underdog Canucks (+185) would be the way to go on the moneyline. You can nearly double up if they pull the upset and force a Game 6.
AVOID. If you really like Vegas, play the Golden Knights (-143) on the 3-way line, but know they must win in regulation for this ticket to cash. A win in overtime is still a losing bet.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Golden Knights fetches a profit of just $4.50, while a $10 bet on the Canucks returns a profit of $18.50 if they pull the upset.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The GOLDEN KNIGHTS -1.5 (+115) is a tempting play. I mean, all four victories in this series so far have been by two or more goals, so if you like VGK, you have to like the puck line, too, right?
Over/Under (O/U)
The O/U of 6 (Over: -115, Under: -106) is a tough play. I think the total is going to be right on the number, actually, and it’s not worth it to buy a half-goal or full goal one way or the other. Yes, the winning team has scored five goals in three of the four games, but the Over/Under has split 2-2 in the first four. Save your money for a surer thing. AVOID.
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