The Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights do battle in Game 3 of their Western Conference Second-Round series Thursday 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.
Golden Knights vs. Canucks: Projected starting goalies
Robin Lehner vs. Jacob Markstrom
Lehner coasted to a shutout win in Game 1, but he was shaky in Game 2. He just didn’t have it Tuesday with four goals allowed on 26 shots, and it wouldn’t be surprising in the least to see Marc-Andre Fleury get a start in Game 3.
Markstrom and the Canucks turned the tables in Game 2, posting a 5-2 victory. He stopped 38 of 40 shots in the bounce-back win and now has a .925 save percentage in the postseason.
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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 12:35 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Golden Knights 4, Canucks 2
Moneyline (ML)
Game 2 served as yet another cautionary tale. DO NOT bet games with moneylines lower than -170. The Golden Knights were favored at -209, and lost badly. You can win a handful of those games, but a couple of losses will eat into your bankroll and eventually you’ll end up behind despite a winning percentage is rather impressive.
In Game 3, the Golden Knights (-200) are once again a huge favorite. AVOID.
I have found the 3-way line is the way to go if you’re not comfortable playing the puck line, but the 2-way moneyline is too expensive. The GOLDEN KNIGHTS (-115) are rather cheap on the 3-way line, but you must win in regulation. A VGK win in overtime is still a loss.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Canucks (+165) returns a net profit of $16.50, while a winning $10 bet on the Golden Knights would fetch a profit of just $5.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
GOLDEN KNIGHTS -1.5 (+140) isn’t a bad play here for a small-unit wager. They won and covered the puck line in Game 1, and each of the first two games in this series have been decided by three or more goals.
I expect this one to be close, but look for VGK to score late to push you across the finish line, perhaps with an empty-net goal.
Over/Under (O/U)
The O/U is 6 for this game, but you’ll want an alternate line. Take OVER 5.5 (-134), although you might be sweating it out late into the third period.
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