Canucks vs. Predators: Best Bets and Preview
By Tyson Cole
The Vancouver Canucks spoiled Connor Bedard’s first game against his hometown team, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.
The Canucks started this game very flat. They were outshot 10-0 in the first 10 minutes and failed to register a shot on goal at 5-on-5 in the first period.
Head coach Rick Tocchet must have had an inspiring speech in the first intermission, as the team figured out their game and outshot the Blackhawks 21-15 in the final two frames.
Tonight, the Canucks face off against the Predators for the third and final time this season.
Game Preview
Vancouver looks to sweep the season series against their Western Conference opponent, defeating them 5-2 and 3-2 back in October.
Both teams have won seven of their last ten, but Nashville has the edge tonight as they’ve won four straight games. The Predators are a much better team at home this season. They have a 65% home winning percentage compared to their 50% winning percentage on the road.
The Canucks find themselves in a tough spot tonight, playing their third game, in three different cities, in just four days. The additional travel and time change could affect the team. The Predators are much more rested, only playing their third game in six games.
Vancouver has an enticing price at +100 for tonight on the money line. Unfortunately, the schedule discrepancy between these teams is too intimidating to wager on tonight.
Player Props
Filip Forsberg Over 3.5 Shots On Goal
Forsberg has been a shooting machine on home ice this season. The Predators leading scorer has covered this line in 71% of his home games, averaging 4.2 shots on 8.0 shot attempts per game.
Nashville is back on home ice today with two days of rest for the fourth time this season. In the previous three home games with the same rest conditions, the sniper has 4+ shots in all three games, averaging 4.7 shots on 9.3 shot attempts per game.
Against Vancouver, the former first-round pick is averaging 3.6 shots on 7.4 shot attempts over the last five games; this includes a zero shot-on-goal performance in their most recent outing.
Rick Tocchet’s team has been undisciplined as of late, averaging 3.4 powerplay opportunities against in their last five games. Look for the Swede to see extra shot attempts on the man advantage as he leads his team with 30 powerplay shots on goal this season.
Ryan McDonagh Over 1.5 Blocked Shots
We have yet to venture into the blocked shots market this season, but McDonagh has impressive value that we can’t pass on.
The defensive defenceman has covered this line in four of his last six games. Before a lower-body injury that sidelined him for seven games, he had cleared in nine of 10 games.
The Predators are spending a lot more time in their zone over the last ten games, allowing 31.8 shots per game. The former Captain averages nearly 21 minutes per game, logging most of the critical defensive zone minutes and is on the top penalty kill unit.
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Best Bet Summary:
Filip Forsberg Over 3.5 Shots On Goal (+105) for 1 unit.
Ryan McDonagh Over 1.5 Blocked Shots (-130) for 1 unit.
Ryan McDonagh Over 2.5 Blocked Shots (+270) for 0.5 units.
Last Game Recap: 1-1 -0.22 units.
Vancouver takes care of business in regulation, fighting off a late push from Chicago.
The shots on goal parlay losses by one Conor Garland shot despite ending with three shot attempts.
All-Time Record: 24-20 +2.08 units.