Vancouver, Vegas Meet for Third Time in 10 Days
The Vancouver Canucks are playing good all-around hockey as of late and look strong as they fight for a wild card berth into the Stanley Cup playoffs. With a record of 35-28-10, the Canucks remain within striking distance of the Los Angeles Kings, who occupy the second wild card spot.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights are also playing well heading into their road contest with the Canucks. The Golden Knights are 40-29-4 and four points ahead of Vancouver in the wild card standings, trailing the Kings and the Dallas Stars (41-27-3) by two points.
The Canucks and Golden Knights met just six days ago, a 5-1 Vancouver win. Three days before that, the Golden Knights won, 3-2, in overtime. Who will win the rubber match in this late-season contest?
Let’s check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Golden Knights vs Canucks. We’ve plenty of NHL picks and predictions.
Canucks Riding Strong Goaltending
The Canucks, riding a three-game winning streak, hope to keep climbing the standings as the regular season ends.
Vancouver’s most recent victory came against the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Canucks goaltender, Thatcher Demko made 34 saves, earning win No. 30 on the season for a new career high.
“It wasn’t a Picasso,” Vancouver head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We didn’t play our best game, but we sort of grinded it out. Found a way and got great goaltending.”
The Canucks have leaned on Demko most of the season. Demko has played the fifth-most minutes among goaltenders (3,357). He’s also faced 1,792 shots; only Nashville’s Juuse Saros (1,915) and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (2,008) have faced more rubber.
In 56 starts, Demko is 30-20-6 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average. Demko’s 1,764 saves are third in the NHL while his 148 goals allowed are seventh-best.
Demko has helped lead the Canucks to an average of 2.78 goals against, the ninth-best mark in the NHL.
The Canucks will likely need Demko to continue his strong play if they hope to reach the playoffs, as their offense has been subpar at best. Averaging just 2.86 goals per game, 20th in the NHL, Vancouver has struggled to score this season. They have been better as of late, scoring four or more goals in each of their last three games, all wins.
Golden Knights Seek Seventh Win in Eight Games
The Golden Knights come in looking to continue their winning way. They’ve won six of their last seven games and are quickly closing in on the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Vegas sits offensively in the middle of the pack, averaging 3.15 goals, 14th in the NHL. With injuries to Reilly Smith and Mark Stone, the Golden Knights have had to lean on others for their offensive output.
Jonathan Marchessault leads the team with 28 goals, followed by Evgenii Dadonov with 18. Chandler Stephenson is third on the team in goals with 17 but first on the team in assists with 40.
Vegas has scored six or more goals in a game four times during its last seven.
Defensively, Vegas has limited opponents well in front of goaltender Robin Lehner. The Golden Knights give up 2.95 goals a game, which is 15th in the NHL. However, they’ve allowed just 2,186 shots against; only the Los Angeles Kings (2,128), Calgary Flames (2,105), and Seattle Kraken (2,097) have allowed less in the Western Conference.
Lehner has gone 23-16-1, with a .909 save percentage and a 2.76 GAA.
Canucks vs Golden Knights Head-to-Head
The Canucks and Golden Knight are each 1-1-1 in three meetings.
Canucks vs Golden Knights Game Information
- Game: Golden Knights (40-29-4) vs Canucks (35-28-10)
- Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
- Day/Time: Tuesday, April 12th, 10 p.m. ET
- Golden Knights vs Canucks Live stream: NHL.TV
Canucks vs Golden Knights Betting Lines
Canucks vs Golden Knights Prediction
The total for this game was set at six goals at the sportsbook. This number could be low considering how both the Canucks and Golden Knights are scoring lately.
The Canucks have scored four or more goals in their last three games while the Golden Knights have scored three goals or more in six of their previous seven games.
When NHL betting, take over six goals.
