The Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks battle in Game 6 of their Western Conference Second-Round best-of-seven series Thursday at 9:45 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton (on NBCSN). We analyze the Golden Knights-Canucks NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Golden Knights vs. Canucks: Projected starting goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury vs. Thatcher Demko
Fleury might get the nod with the Golden Knights ahead 3-2, and a back-to-back situation in the event there is a Game 7 Friday night. That would allow them to save Robin Lehner, who has done most of the heavy lifting in the playoffs, for a potentially decisive game. If Fleury were to win Game 6, great.
Demko made his first postseason start in Game 5 and he turned aside 42 of the 43 shots he faced for the victory. He was thrust into action with Jacob Markstrom deemed unfit to play, and head coach Travis Green played coy Wednesday when asked if Markstrom would be ready. Again, there is a back-to-back situation if the Canucks win, so maybe they roll with Demko in Game 6, and try and rest up Markstrom for Game 7, going with the one who got them there.
Place a legal NHL bet on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM. Bet now!
Golden Knights vs. Canucks: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 8:10 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Golden Knights 3, Canucks 2
Moneyline (ML)
The Golden Knights (-239) are still very heavily favored despite the fact they slipped up by a 2-1 count in Game 5 against the upstart Canucks (+200). Vancouver is very tempting at this price level, as you can potentially double up.
While Demko was impressive while under tremendous pressure from the Knights last time out, it’s hard to believe he can do it again. The lean is to the Golden Knights here, and they’re just too expensive. AVOID.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Golden Knights fetches a profit of just $4.20, while a $10 bet on the Canucks returns a profit of $20 if they spring another upset.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Golden Knights -1.5 (+115) looked like the play in Game 5, but the CANUCKS (+1.5, -139) had other ideas and weren’t ready to leave the bubble just yet. Vancouver is worth a look in this one.
Generally, I avoid underdog puck line plays, but the last outing was a one-goal game, and this one should be equally tight, perhaps even extending into overtime. As such, it’s a good idea to back the dogs.
Over/Under (O/U)
The UNDER 6 (-106) is worth playing very, very lightly. We saw the defense and goaltending tighten up significantly, with a total of just three goals in Game 5. That was a far cry from the first four games which saw an average of 5.8 goals per contest.
Still, the Under is 3-2 so far in this series, and you can expect a strong backcheck, plenty of hits and scoring to be at a premium.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
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.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]