The Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks meet in Game 1 of a best-of-7 Western Conference 1st-round series Sunday. Puck drop from Rogers Arena is set for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Predators vs. Canucks odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Nashville dropped its final game of the season with a 4-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday while failing to cash as a -102 road underdog. LW Filip Forsberg and C Gustav Nyquist each found the back of the net, while D Ryan McDonagh had 2 assists.
Vancouver also snapped a 2-game winning streak and dropped its final game of the season with a 4-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets Thursday. RW Conor Garland had a goal and an assist, and C Elias Lindholm also scored. The Canucks allowed 2 unanswered 3rd-period goals, which proved to be detrimental to them in the loss.
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Predators at Canucks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:05 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Predators +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Canucks -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Predators +1.5 (-210) | Canucks -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
Predators at Canucks projected goalies
Juuse Saros (35-24-5, 2.86 GAA, .906 SV%, 3 SO) vs. Thatcher Demko (35-14-2, 2.45 GAA, .918 SV%, 5 SO)
Saros has been the top goalie for the Predators this season and is in a 3-way tie with Dallas Stars G Jake Oettinger and Demko for the 6th-best record in the NHL. His SV% and GAA both rank in the mid-20s, while his 3 SO are tied for 11th-best. Nashville is 1-2 in his last 3 starts.
Demko has also been among the top goalies in the NHL. He’s in a tie for the 6th-best record, his GAA and 5 SO rank 5th-best, and his .918 SV% is tied for 3rd-best. The Canucks are 4-1 in his last 5 starts.
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Predators at Canucks picks and predictions
Prediction
Canucks 4, Predators 3
Moneyline
BET CANUCKS (-145).
The Canucks are 3-2 in their last 5 Games and hold one of the best records in the NHL this season. They are 27-9-5 at home this season, including 3-1 in their last 4 in Vancouver.
Nashville has dropped 6 of its last 10 games and allowed 4 goals in 3 of its last 4.
Puck line/Against the spread
PASS.
The level of risk is much better on the Canucks spread.
Over/Under
BET OVER 5.5 (-120).
Nashville’s games have gone over this number in 7 of its last 10 outings, including 4 straight. It has scored 5 or more goals in 2 of its last 3 games. It has also scored 3 or more goals while allowing 3 or more in 7 of its last 10 games.
Vancouver has hit the Over in 5 of its last 7 games and scored 3 or more goals in 7 of its last 9.
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