Canucks vs. Lightning Prediction: NHL Betting Odds
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Charlie Grant
The Canucks hope to solve their defensive problems as their six-game road trip swings through Florida with a Thursday night visit to Tampa Bay to play Steven Stamkos and the Lightning. Will Vancouver super rookie Elias Pettersson continue his torching start to the campaign with Victor Hedman likely shadowing him for the bulk of the game?
Canucks vs Lightning Betting Analysis
The Canucks are coming off a 5-3 setback against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Vancouver is 0-2 on the road this season and the Over is 3-0 in its three games so far this year. The Canucks finished with the second fewest points in the Western Conference a year ago with just 73, and the forecast isn’t much better for the 2018-19 season. Vancouver’s odds to win the Stanley Cup (+9000) are longer than all but three teams in the NHL.
Thursday’s contest will be Tampa Bay’s first game since it opened the campaign with a 2-1 shootout win over Florida on Saturday. The Lightning won both matchups against the Canucks last season and the Over is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings between the two sides.
The Over is cooking league-wide at the start of the new season. Entering Wednesday’s slate of games, the Over was 17-10 in non-overtime games.
Vancouver Canucks
For the first time this century the Canucks begin a hockey season without Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the roster. The twin brothers retired from the NHL following last season which helps Vancouver turn the focus to its young core.
Right winger Brock Boeser and centre Bo Horvat combined for 51 goals and 48 assists a year ago with both players missing significant time. Rookie Elias Pettersson is stealing their shine. The 19-year-old forward has three goals and three assists in just his first three NHL games.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Bolts are now four seasons removed from their loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final in the spring of 2015. Tampa Bay has lost to the eventual Cup winner in three of the last four seasons including a year ago when they were ousted by the Washington Capitals in seven games in the Eastern Conference final. T-Bay returns much of the same roster that finished with an Eastern Conference-high 113 points in the regular season. Tampa Bay is at +400 to win the East and +800 to hoist the Cup.
Only the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Winnipeg Jets won more games on home ice than the Lightning did last season.
