Vancouver Canucks (5) vs Vegas Golden Knights (1): NHL 2nd Round Series Playoff Betting

The Canucks were David to the Blues’ Goliath, but now Vancouver faces something closer to God himself. The Vegas Golden Knights are quite something to behold. 

The Golden Knights won the Pacific Division, recording 86 points. When NHL Bubble play began, Vegas promptly plowed through the seeding games, sweeping the round-robin. The Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars, the St. Louis Blues, and the Colorado Avalanche, in order, earning top billing. 

Vegas went on to defeat the upstart Chicago Blackhawks four games to one in their Round 1 matchup. In total, the Golden Knights have won 19 of their last 22 games, including the 5-0 throttling they gave the Canucks in Game 1 of the 2nd Round. 

Second Round Series Schedule (Series Tied 1-1)

Sunday, Aug. 23- Canucks 0, Golden Knights 5

Tuesday, Aug. 25- Canucks 5 vs Golden Knights 2

Thursday, Aug. 27- Golden Knights vs Canucks, 9:45 p.m. ET – NBCSN 

Saturday, Aug. 29- Golden Knights vs Canucks, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN 

Monday, Aug. 31- Canucks vs Golden Knights – TBD

Tuesday, Sept. 1- Golden Knights vs Canucks – TBD

Thursday, Sept. 3- Canucks vs Golden Knights – TBD

Vancouver Canucks vs Vegas Golden Knights: Head-to-Head 2019-20 Reg. Season

The Canucks split the regular-season series with the Golden Knights, with each team winning a game apiece. That’s now where the playoffs stand as well. Overall, however, Vegas has won eight of the last 11 head-to-head contests with Vancouver. You can check out all the relevant NHL betting info at our sportsbook. We offer a statistical breakdown, keys to the matchup, and betting trends for each series: 

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Goaltenders

Jacob Markstrom

Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom had a pretty decent 2019-20 campaign. Markstrom notched a record of 23-16-4, with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 SV%. The 23 wins were good enough for the 11th best win total in the league. However, the 2.75 GAA placed Markstrom way down the icy totem pole, ranking him 27th in the NHL. 

Markstrom has only slightly improved his overall performance in the playoffs thus far. A record of 8-4 with a 2.64 GAA and a save percentage of .925 has been sufficient to keep Vancouver moving forward in the postseason. That is, up until now. 

Robin Lehner

Vegas’s new starting netminder Robin Lehner has been fantastic since coming over in a trade from the Blackhawks. Lehner has managed to wriggle the starting job from Future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, and he’s on a roll.  

It’s a complicated backstory, so let’s cut to the guts of it. Lehner has the hot glove this postseason, posting a 6-2 record to go along with a 2.34 GAA and a .909 SV%. Should the Golden Knights decide to make a change in goal, they’ve got a three-time Stanley Cup champion on ice. Marc-Andre Fleury has been to three of the last four Stanley Cup Finals and has won two of them. Fleury has gotten his name etched on the Cup three times in total, all with the Pittsburgh Penguins.  

Advantage: Golden Knights…

(Even If They Flip a Coin to Decide Between Lehner & Fleury) 

Stanley Cup Odds

The Canucks’ preseason odds to win the Stanley Cup cast them as definitive longshots, and a moneyline of +4250. Vancouver has improved on those betting odds by virtue of how far they’ve made it but still sit at +1900. 

The Golden Knights came in at +900 in the preseason, and are now the top contender at +285. Perhaps it’s time to bet the house on a hockey team in the desert winning it all? 

Vancouver Canucks vs Vegas Golden Knights Matchup

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