The Vancouver Canucks sit well back of a playoff spot in the Pacific Division and it won’t get any easier when they host the Central Division’s St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.  Both teams have been off since Friday.  Vancouver fell 2-1 in a shootout at home against the league-leading Florida Panthers, while St. Louis blanked the Kraken 5-0 on the road.

The Blues are -163 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 5.5.

Blues vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds

This has been a fairly tight head-to-head series in recent years, with eight of the last 10 games decided by two or less goals.  This is the first meeting between St. Louis and Vancouver since the Canucks took out the Blues in six games in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, held in the NHL bubble.

St. Louis has looked good lately, winning five of their last six games.  They’re 23-17 against the spread this season, including 9-9 ATS on the road.  The total has gone Under in four of the Blues’ last six games.

Since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench, Vancouver has been much better at home, winning five of their last six games at Rogers Arena.  They’re 22-18 ATS overall, with covers in nine of 17 home games.  The Canucks have hit the Over just three times at home this season.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis offence shared the wealth against Seattle, with five different players scoring in the shutout win.  Tyler Bozak, Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou each found the back of the net, while Ville Husso stopped all 27 shots he faced.  It was the Blues’ second consecutive win and fifth in their last six games.

Ryan O’Reilly picked up an assist on Friday and now has seven points (4G, 3A) over his last five games.  Kyrou leads the team with 40 points.  Kyrou, Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev share the team lead with 15 goals apiece.  St. Louis ranks fifth in goals per game (3.53) and seventh in goals against (2.65).

Jordan Binnington is expected to get the start in Vancouver.  Binnington has seen his numbers dip a little this season, but he’s still been able to put together an 11-8-3 record with a 3.05 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.  Buchnevich won’t be eligible to play on Sunday.  The Seattle game was Buchnevich’s first since clearing COVID protocols, but Canada doesn’t allow anyone to enter the country within 10 days of a positive COVID test and Sunday marks day 10 for Buchnevich.

Vancouver Canucks

Despite the loss to Florida, goaltender Spencer Martin deserves a lot of credit.  Martin held the NHL’s second-highest scoring team to one goal on 34 shots through regulation and overtime before the Panthers sealed the win in the shootout.  It was only Martin’s fourth career NHL start and first since the 2016-17 season.  Alex Chiasson scored for Vancouver in the first period, while Brock Boeser had the Canucks’ only shootout goal.

Special teams have been a big issue for Vancouver.  They sit 16th on the power-play at 19.7 per cent and they’re dead last on the penalty kill at 66.9 per cent.  J.T. Miller leads the team with 39 points (12G, 27A), while captain Bo Horvat has a team-high 13 goals.  Miller and Horvat, along with goalies Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak as well as forward Conor Garland all missed Friday’s game in COVID protocols.  Each of those players will also miss Sunday’s game.

It will either be Martin or 22-year-old prospect Michael DiPietro in net against St. Louis.  Martin is winless with a 3.44 GAA and .892 SV in four career NHL starts.  DiPietro has only appeared in two career NHL games and was lit up for seven goals on 24 shots in his only start.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Blues vs. Canucks?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Blues Team Leaders

STL

Points	Vladimir Tarasenko 82
+ / -	Justin Faulk 41
Shots	Vladimir Tarasenko 230
Penalty Mins	Niko Mikkola 55
Wins	Ville Husso 25
GAA	Charlie Lindgren 1.22

VAN

Points	J.T. Miller 99
+ / -	Conor Garland 18
Shots	J.T. Miller 206
Penalty Mins	Tyler Myers 66
Wins	Thatcher Demko 33
GAA	Spencer Martin 1.74

STL

Points	David Perron 9
+ / -	Colton Parayko 6
Shots	David Perron 28
Penalty Mins	Justin Faulk 10
Wins	Jordan Binnington 3
GAA	Jordan Binnington 1.67

VAN

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Canucks Team Leaders

STL

Points	Vladimir Tarasenko 82
+ / -	Justin Faulk 41
Shots	Vladimir Tarasenko 230
Penalty Mins	Niko Mikkola 55
Wins	Ville Husso 25
GAA	Charlie Lindgren 1.22

VAN

Points	J.T. Miller 99
+ / -	Conor Garland 18
Shots	J.T. Miller 206
Penalty Mins	Tyler Myers 66
Wins	Thatcher Demko 33
GAA	Spencer Martin 1.74

STL

Points	David Perron 9
+ / -	Colton Parayko 6
Shots	David Perron 28
Penalty Mins	Justin Faulk 10
Wins	Jordan Binnington 3
GAA	Jordan Binnington 1.67

VAN

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

Injuries

St. Louis

Marco Scandella (D)

Ques Thurs Lower Body - 08 / 05 / 22

Torey Krug (D)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 07 / 05 / 22

Robert Bortuzzo (D)

Ques Tues Head - 05 / 05 / 22

Nick Leddy (D)

Ques Tues Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 22

Marco Scandella (D)

Ques Fri Lower Body - 27 / 04 / 22

David Perron (LW)

Prob Fri Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22

Robert Bortuzzo (D)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 25 / 04 / 22

Torey Krug (D)

Prob Tues Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22

Brayden Schenn (C)

Prob Mon Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22

Alexei Toropchenko (RW)

Ques Sat Leg - 16 / 04 / 22

Vancouver

William Lockwood (RW)

Ques Fri Upper Body - 27 / 04 / 22

Travis Dermott (D)

Prob Thurs Illness - 27 / 04 / 22

Jaroslav Halak (G)

out for season Hand - 20 / 04 / 22

Bo Horvat (C)

Early May Lower Body - 15 / 04 / 22

Tanner Pearson (LW)

Out Fri Upper Body - 08 / 04 / 22

Brock Boeser (RW)

Prob Mon Arm - 05 / 04 / 22

Quinn Hughes (D)

Prob Sat Illness - 05 / 04 / 22

Tucker Poolman (D)

out for season Migraine - 03 / 04 / 22

Bo Horvat (C)

Prob Sun Illness - 31 / 03 / 22

Matthew Highmore (C)

Prob Mon Upper Body - 26 / 03 / 22

Injuries

St. Louis

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Marco Scandella (D)	Ques Thurs	Lower Body - 08 / 05 / 22	3-1	2-2	+ -
Scandella is bothered by a lower-body injury, and it is undetermined if he will partake in Game 1 of the Western Conference second round against the Avalanche.
Torey Krug (D)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 07 / 05 / 22	3-2	3-2	+ -
Krug is hampered by a lower-body injury, and it has yet to be determined when he will return to the lineup.
Robert Bortuzzo (D)	Ques Tues	Head - 05 / 05 / 22	4-2	3-3	+ -
Bortuzzo is dealing with a head injury, and it is unknown if he will be active for Game 5 of the Western Conference first round versus the Wild.
Nick Leddy (D)	Ques Tues	Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 22	4-2	3-3	+ -
Leddy is managing an upper-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Wild in Game 5 of the Western Conference first round.
Marco Scandella (D)	Ques Fri	Lower Body - 27 / 04 / 22	5-4	6-3	+ -
Scandella is tending to a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will suit up for Game 3 of the Western Conference first round versus the Wild.
David Perron (LW)	Prob Fri	Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22	5-4	6-3	+ -
Perron was held out of the last contest with a lower-body, but it is anticipated that he will face the Golden Knights on Friday.
Robert Bortuzzo (D)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 25 / 04 / 22	5-5	7-3	+ -
Bortuzzo missed the previous contest due to an unspecified ailment, but it is likely that he will participate in Friday's showdown with the Golden Knights.
Torey Krug (D)	Prob Tues	Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22	6-5	7-4	+ -
Krug has sat out the last two games with an upper-body injury, but it is likely that he will partake in Tuesday's matchup against the Avalanche.
Brayden Schenn (C)	Prob Mon	Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22	6-5	7-4	+ -
Schenn is hampered by an upper-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will be in the lineup versus the Wild for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.
Alexei Toropchenko (RW)	Ques Sat	Leg - 16 / 04 / 22	8-7	10-5	+ -
Toropchenko has sat out the last four games with a leg injury, and it is unknown if he will be available for Saturday's tilt against the Coyotes.

Vancouver

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
William Lockwood (RW)	Ques Fri	Upper Body - 27 / 04 / 22	1-2	2-1	+ -
Lockwood has been absent from the last two contests due to an upper-body injury, leaving his availability for Friday's tilt with the Oilers clouded.
Travis Dermott (D)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 27 / 04 / 22	1-2	2-1	+ -
Dermott was held out of the last game with an illness, but it is projected that he will participate in Thursday's clash with the Kings.
Jaroslav Halak (G)	out for season	Hand - 20 / 04 / 22	2-4	5-1	+ -
Halak is idle with a hand injury, and it is unliekly that he will return for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Bo Horvat (C)	Early May	Lower Body - 15 / 04 / 22	4-4	7-1	+ -
Horvat is idle due to a lower-body injury, and it is projected that he will be sidelined until the early part of May.
Tanner Pearson (LW)	Out Fri	Upper Body - 08 / 04 / 22	7-4	8-1-2	+ -
Pearson has been out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, and he will not play against the Oilers on Friday.
Brock Boeser (RW)	Prob Mon	Arm - 05 / 04 / 22	8-4	8-2-2	+ -
Boeser has missed the previous three games with an arm injury, but it is anticipated that he will suit up against the Stars on Monday.
Quinn Hughes (D)	Prob Sat	Illness - 05 / 04 / 22	8-4	8-2-2	+ -
Hughes has sat out the last two games due to an illness, but it is likely that he will suit up for Saturday's matchup against the Sharks.
Tucker Poolman (D)	out for season	Migraine - 03 / 04 / 22	9-4	9-2-2	+ -
Poolman is expected to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season due to migraines stemming from a previous head injury, and he has been shifted to the long-term injured reserve list.
Bo Horvat (C)	Prob Sun	Illness - 31 / 03 / 22	9-5	9-3-2	+ -
Hovart exited the last contest due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but it is expected that he will suit up against the Golden Knights on Sunday.
Matthew Highmore (C)	Prob Mon	Upper Body - 26 / 03 / 22	11-5	9-5-2	+ -
Highmore has been out of commission due to an upper-body injury, but it is projected that he will return to the lineup for Monday's tilt against the Stars.