The Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks square off in Game 2 of their Western Conference Second-Round series Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. 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 was dinged for five goals on 34 shots in the Game 1 loss. The defense wasn’t helping as much as it needed to, perhaps a little energy sapped after a tough series against the St. Louis Blues. Markstrom was pulled in the third period by head coach Travis Green, but more so just to give Thatcher Demko some playing time in the playoffs, and to give Markstrom a rest. Outside of this subpar showing, he has been rock solid.
Lehner wasn’t tested too much in the first two periods, and by the third period he was able to kick into cruise control like being out in the middle of the desert on US 95 with the top down. He turned aside all 26 shots he faced for his first career playoff shutout. Oddly enough, Lehner has three career wins against Vancouver, one each as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and now VGK.
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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 at 7:40 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Golden Knights 4, Canucks 2
Moneyline (ML)
I went on a fishing expedition in Game 1, looking for the upset. I can’t trust the Canucks (+175) in this one; however, the Golden Knights (-209) are just too expensive for my taste. It’s a bit hacky to play moneylines less than -170 or so, and I am not about to start here.
AVOID.
If you want the bet Vegas straight-up, play the 3-way line. GOLDEN KNIGHTS (-134) has value, but they must win in regulation for the wager to cash.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Canucks returns a net profit of $17.50, while a winning $10 bet on the Golden Knights would fetch a profit of just $4.80.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
GOLDEN KNIGHTS -1.5 (+135) looks like an attractive bet the way they manhandled the Canucks (+1.5, -162) in the series opener.
Now, can we get odds on how many times Ryan Reaves and Antoine Roussel will chirp at each other and try to give each other face washes when involved in a fracas?
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 5.5 (-121) is worth a small-unit wager, as VGK isn’t going to grab the shutout again, but Markstrom isn’t going to get beat five times, either. This will be a bit closer, with the total inching over sometime in the third period.
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