The Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues continue their Western Conference quarterfinals for Game 2 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We analyze the Canucks-Blues NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Canucks vs. Blues: Projected starting goalies
Jacob Markstrom vs. Jordan Binnington
Markstrom allowed two goals on 31 shots in Game 1, as the Canucks served notice to the defending Stanley Cup champions that they won’t be a pushover in this best-of-seven series. David Perron scored on the power play, and Jaden Schwartz had an unassisted even-strength goal halfway through the second period, and that’s all the Blues could muster against Markstrom. That’s now four consecutive wins for Markstrom and the Canucks since a 3-0 setback against the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the qualifying round.
Binnington went 16-10 with a 2.46 goals against average and .914 save percentage in 26 starts during the postseason in 2019, en route to a Stanley Cup championship. However, the Canucks weren’t impressed, as Bo Horvat scored a pair of goals, including a power-play marker, while Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller also broke through on the man advantage. Troy Stetcher was the other scorer, and he ended up with the game-winning tally.
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 at 7:20 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Blues 4, Canucks 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BLUES (-150) are favored for the bounce back in Game 2, and they’re the play here. It’s hard to envision the Canucks (+125) going up 2-0 against the defending champs. It’s not hard to envision that this series could go to six or seven games now. Vancouver’s offense is legit.
While the Blues opened at -200 to win the series before Game 1, you can now get them at even money (+100). Take advantage. The defending champs aren’t going home, although they could definitely get a scare from the high-octane Canucks. BET THE BLUES (+100) TO WIN THE SERIES.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Blues to win Game 2 returns a net profit of $6.67, while the Canucks fetch a profit of $12.50 if they win.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The BLUES (-1.5, +185) are worth a small-unit wager as they attempt to rebound from the Game 1 loss. It’s a great chance to double up and recoup some of those losses from ripped up opening game tickets.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (+120) is a good value at plus money. The Over has connected in five of the past six for the Canucks against winning teams, and the Over has hit in 12 of the past 16 games overall. For the Blues, the Over is 5-1 in their previous six playoff outings as a favorite, including their Game 1 setback.
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.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]