Canucks vs Golden Knights: Game 5 Betting Preview
The Vancouver Canucks have shown they can compete with elite teams, but their playoff run is nearing an end. After eliminating the Minnesota Wild and shocking the reigning champion St. Louis Blues, the Canucks find themselves down 3-1.
Vancouver showed real grit in Game 2 to even the series with Vegas, and controlled most of Game 4. The Canucks ultimately blew the lead in the third period of Game 4, and now face elimination Tuesday. This betting man believes that Vancouver has one more postseason win in it, Current NHL betting odds are giving 1½ goals to the Canucks (-130), who will likely win Game 5 outright (+190 moneyline). Visit our sportsbook to satisfy all of your NHL betting needs! We’re always just a click away.
The Vegas Golden Knights swept the round-robin seeding tournament, pounded the upstart Chicago Blackhawks, and are a win away from the Western Conference Finals. The Golden Knights are a powerful force, and will likely be in the Stanley Cup Finals. The most recent odds for winning the Stanley Cup place Vegas ahead of the pack, with a moneyline of +165. As of this writing, the odds that Vancouver wins the Stanley Cup this year are 80-1. There is no doubt in my mind that the Black Knights will win this series, just not in five games. The Canucks still have some fight left in them.
Schedule (VGK Lead 3-1)
In my playoff series preview, I predicted Vegas to defeat Vancouver in six games. The initial instinct was to call it five games, but we’re exactly where we need to be now. Also you can check, Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators.
Here is the series schedule and the results of gameplay up to this moment:
Sunday, Aug. 23- Golden Knights 5, Canucks 0
Tuesday, Aug. 25- Canucks 5, Golden Knights 2
Saturday, Aug. 29- Golden Knights 3, Canucks 0
Sunday, Aug. 30- Golden Knights 5, Canucks 3
Tuesday, Sept. 1- Canucks vs Golden Knights – 9:45 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Thursday, Sept. 3- Golden Knights vs Canucks – TBD
Friday, Sept. 4- Canucks vs Golden Knights – TBD
Canucks vs Golden Knights: Keys to Victory for Vancouver
$ Canucks Goalie Jacob Markstrom needs to be pretty much unbeatable, especially in the early going. The Golden Knights are 8-0 when drawing first blood this postseason. Vancouver has to do everything possible to stifle Vegas and score the first goal.
$ Vancouver must disrupt the top scoring line for Vegas: William Karlsson, Max Pacioretty, and Mark Stone. When this talented trio is on the ice, the probability of the Black Knights scoring is much higher. The Karlsson line has not been slowed much yet.
$ The Canucks need to get in Robin Lehner’s head right from the opening faceoff. Vancouver wants to keep the pressure on Lehner, so he plays a bit paranoid. Pile up bodies in front of Lehner’s net, make traffic in front of him, and pepper him with shots. Lehner already has two shutouts in three games vs Vancouver. The last thing the Canucks want is for Robin Lehner to settle in comfortably.
The last thought I want to leave you with is this one. The Vancouver Canucks have played with real passion this postseason, and they do not want the magic to end. The team will undoubtedly be playing with an edge of desperation and they’ll “leave it all on the ice”. As the last Canadian team standing in the NHL playoffs, Vancouver will take this seriously. The Western Hub in Edmonton is only about an hour away from Vancouver by plane. The Canucks will channel some home-ice juice in Game 5 to stay alive for one more game.
