Predators vs. Canucks Game 5 Prediction: Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds
The Canucks are -120 favourites to win on the NHL odds.
Predators vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds
The teams split the first two games of the series in Vancouver before the Canucks took the next two in Nashville for a 3-1 series lead. A Western Conference semifinal date with Edmonton looks rather likely with the Oilers also up 3-1 on Los Angeles in their first-round series.
On the updated series line, Vancouver is -1000 (was -250 entering Game 4) with Nashville +600 (was +200). On the series game spread, the Canucks at -1.5 games are -350 and the Predators at +1.5 games are +270. To win the Western Conference, Vancouver is now +600 and Nashville +5500.
Canucks No. 1 goaltender Thatcher Demko on Monday was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy along with Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, and Hellebuyck is expected to win. Demko won Game 1 of this series but hasn’t played since due to injury and apparently will not Tuesday.
Nashville Predators
Very hard for even the best of teams to bounce back from such a crushing playoff loss as Nashville suffered on Sunday in blowing a late 3-1 lead in the 4-3 overtime defeat. Juuse Saros had played so well for most of the game but fell apart. Highly doubt the Preds turn to backup Kevin Lankinen on Tuesday, however. Nashville got goals Sunday from Mark Jankowski (first of series), Gustav Nyquist (first) and Filip Forsberg (second and 31st career).
“We’re a pretty honest group,” Predators captain Roman Josi said. “We felt like we played a really good game for 55 minutes and we just didn’t get the win. And that’s just what happens sometimes. But it’s a 3-1 series, we’re going on the road and we need to win one on the road. We’ve done it before, and I think our game is in a good place, so we’ll go there, win one and see what happens.”
Josi skated in his 89th career playoff game Sunday, tying Pekka Rinne for the most in franchise history. Blueliner Spencer Stastney was out with an upper-body injury. The Predators are 12-6 in their past 18 road games.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks looked like they were in a bind for Game 4 on Sunday in Nashville down to third-string goaltender Arturs Silovs making his playoff debut. It seemed to catch everyone by surprise that Casey DeSmith was ruled out injured after starting Games 2-3. Vancouver was down 3-1, but Brock Boeser’s second goal of the game at 17:11 gave the team life and he tied it at 19:52 of regulation, the third latest game-tying goal in franchise postseason history before Elias Lindholm won it at 1:02 of OT. It was the third-fastest goal to start overtime in Canucks playoff history. Boeser became just the fifth player in franchise history to score a postseason hat trick and the first since Trevor Linden in 1996.
The Canucks had six shots on net in the third period, but Boeser was able to convert on two of those (both with Vancouver’s net empty). J.T. Miller assisted on all three of Boeser’s goals. Sunday marked the second time in NHL history that a team has scored a game-tying goal in the final 10 seconds of regulation and then scored the OT winner in the opening two minutes of the extra frame. Boeser became the third player in NHL history to record a hat trick in the playoffs with the third being a game-tying goal in the final minute of the third period. It’s not yet clear if DeSmith will be able to go in Game 5. Silovs stopped 27 of 30 shots in his playoff debut. The under is 8-4 in Vancouver’s past 12 home games.
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