The Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks meet in Game 2 of a best-of-7 Western Conference 1st-round series Tuesday. Puck drop from Rogers Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Predators vs. Canucks odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Playoff series: Canucks lead 1-0
The underdog Predators (+135) held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, and a 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd period. Nashville held its own for most of the game, but it allowed 2 goals in a 12-second span to Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua, and once the crowd got back into it, the Predators knuckled under. Joshua added an empty-net goal to put a bow on the scoring. He also led the team with 6 hits.
It was a rare Over result for Nashville, as the Under was 4-2 in the final 6 games of the regular-season, with just 17 goals allowed in the span. However, against Vancouver, the Over has now cashed in 3 straight meetings, and 7 of the past 8 encounters in the series since Feb. 1, 2022.
The Canucks welcomed All-Star goaltender Thatcher Demko back from injury April 16 against the Calgary Flames, and he had mixed results in his final 2 regular-season starts. But he was rock-solid in Game 1, allowing just 2 goals on 22 shots in his 4th-career postseason start.
Quinn Hughes posted 2 assists, which is already his 5th-career multi-point performance in the postseason.
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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 1:50 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Predators +120 (bet $100 to win $130) | Canucks -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Predators +1.5 (-210) | Canucks -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -125 | U: +105)
Predators at Canucks projected goalies
Juuse Saros (35-24-5, 2.86 GAA, .906 SV%, 3 SO – regular season) vs. Thatcher Demko (35-14-2, 2.45 GAA, .918 SV%, 5 SO – regular season)
Saros made just 17 saves on 20 shots, as Vancouver doesn’t take a lot of shots per game. In fact, while the Canucks ranked 6th in goals scored (3.4) and 11th on the power play (22.7%) in the regular season, they were just 26th in shots on goal (SOG) with 28.4 per game.
Demko has a tremendous defense in front of him, and he made just 20 saves on 22 shots in Game 1. Vancouver limited Nashville to 6 SOG apiece in the first 2 periods, before a flurry of 10 shots in the 3rd period, including late with the extra attacker.
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Predators at Canucks picks and predictions
Prediction
Canucks 3, Predators 2
Moneyline
The CANUCKS (-145) are as solid play in Game 2, although expect another close game. Vancouver bettors were in trouble through 40 minutes in Game 1 before the Canucks had a flurry of 3 goals in the final period. The Predators (+120) were able to dictate their pace and style for much of the game, and it was a very defensive, physical contest which is what Nashville wants.
Back the Canucks, but expect to sweat until the very end, perhaps even into overtime.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Predators +1.5 (-210) will cost you 2 times your potential return, and that’s way too risky if you require a little bit of insurance and cannot play Nashville straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
UNDER 5.5 (+105) is going a bit against the grain, and it would be a much more comfortable bet buying half-goal or full goal to give some more wiggly room, but that can get quite expensive.
We saw the Over cash in Game 1, barely, on the late ENG. We saw the Over cash in 2 of the 3 regular-season meetings. We saw the Over cash in 7 of the past 8 meetings in the series. You’re going against the trends with an Under play, but with Saros and Demko at opposite ends, goals are going to be at a premium.
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