NHL Betting Preview: Canucks vs. Oilers Game 5
By Tyson Cole
2 months agoThe Vancouver Canucks let Game 4 slip through their fingers after yet another third-period comeback; the Edmonton Oilers even up the series 2-2. In this NHL Betting article, you’ll be up to date with all the current Canucks odds and trends from this series to help you win a little bit of extra money this playoff season!
Oilers vs. Canucks Odds
- Edmonton Oilers Moneyline Odds: -150
- Vancouver Canucks Moneyline Odds: +125
- Puck Line Odds: Oilers -1.5 (+170), Canucks +1.5 (-205)
- Game Total: 6.5 goals (over +105, under -125)
- Time/Date: May 16th, 7:00 PM PST
- TV: Sportsnet, CBC
All odds courtesy of bet365.
Last Matchup
The first two periods of Game 4 were probably the worst two periods of the series for the Canucks. They were outshot 20-10, out-chanced 16-9, and were held without a high-danger scoring chance in the first two periods. Rick Tocchet’s comments after the game were completely warranted after that performance.
It was yet another strong performance from Arturs Silovs. He made some incredible saves when the Oilers had constant pressure to keep his team in the fight. He allowed three goals, but the first two are arguably not his fault. The first goal was on the powerplay when the Canucks allowed Connor McDavid to get into the middle of the ice and left Leon Draisaitl in his office all alone, where he rarely misses. The two-on-one at the end of the second was made possible because of Noah Juulsen’s eagerness to throw the body. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a snipe that went post-and-in. The third goal, however, he’ll wish he had back. Despite being screened by two Canuck players, he still was in the correct position, but it trickled through his arm for the game-winner in the dying seconds.
The lineup changes paid off for Kris Knoblauch and the Edmonton Oilers. Calvin Pickard rarely got tested in the first two periods, but once the Canucks put some pressure on them, he got exposed. Let’s hope the Canucks can put the pressure on for more than 20 minutes of the hockey game tonight.
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Check out Daily Faceoff for all the updates regarding the line combinations and goaltenders for Tuesday’s matchup.
Handicapping the Canucks (6-4 SU, 8-2 ATS, 5-5 O/U)
I think Vancouver has a lot of value tonight, with many storylines to discuss. Rick Tocchet rarely calls out his players, but when he does, he means business and has built such a culture in the locker room that the players listen when he speaks out.
J.T. Miller took full accountability for his poor positioning on the Oilers’ game-winning goal, so much so that he texted Tocchet later that night to apologize for his mistake. Miller is the kind of player who brings the energy every night, and the fact that he feels he let the team down tells me that he’s going to redeem himself in a big way tonight. Elias Pettersson finally has some legitimate players to play with that could get him going after all the slack he’s receiving from fans and media.
One thing that the Canucks can learn from after Game 4 is that when they put pressure on Pickard, they can beat him. When the pressure is on Pickard, Vancouver can get to him. The Canucks scored two goals on just eight shots. If they can play better for a full 60 minutes, he may be a weakness for that Oilers team.
Handicapping the Oilers (6-3 SU, 2-7 ATS, 7-2 O/U)
The lineup changes from Knoblauch paid off. They dominated the first two periods and didn’t have to rely on their powerplay as they had two 5-on-5 goals. However, their depth scoring is still an issue. Derek Ryan is the only one in the bottom six to have registered a point in four games in this series. You can’t win a series in today’s NHL if you aren’t getting even a little bit of contribution from your third and fourth lines.
Calvin Pickard looked good-ish. We’ll see how he does now on the road in what, by all accounts, is a must-win game for this series. I wouldn’t be terribly optimistic if you’re an Oilers fan by him allowing two goals late in the third period when your team is trying to ice the game. But that’s their best option now, so we’ll see if he can get his second playoff win in as many starts.
Splitting up the Darnell Nurse-Cody Ceci pairing paid off. Ceci has made multiple mistakes in this series that led to Vancouver goals. Pairing Nurse with Vincent Desharnais matches the Canucks sizable defence corps and was tough to play against. Expect another big game from them tonight.
Canucks vs. Predators Injury News
No new Oilers injury news. Adam Henrique was out for Game 1, returned in Game 2, playing 11:38 of ice time, missed Game 3 and will also miss Game 5 this evening.
No new Canucks injury news. Thatcher Demko remains out with a knee injury. The report on his return hasn’t really changed; it has now updated from sometime after Game 4 to now eyeing a Game 6 or Game 7 return. However, Demko hasn’t taken morning skate with the main group. He’ll need to ramp up his workload if he wants a chance to play in this series.
Projected Lineups
Rick Tocchet indicated there would be some lineup changes after he called out some players, saying there were “Five-Six passengers” in Game 4. Nils Höglander returns to the lineup after his two-game healthy scratch. Phil Di Giuseppe will draw back into the lineup after his leave of absence, as will Carson Soucy after his one-game suspension. Vasily Podkolzin will make his playoff debut tonight. Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, Linus Karlsson and Noah Juulsen come out of the lineup.
There is also some movement within the lines. Elias Pettersson will finally get some competent linemates, joining Höglander and Lindholm on the top line. Teddy Blueger will return to the OG third line with Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland. Silovs will make his eighth straight start this playoffs.
No lineup changes for the Oilers after a Game 4 victory. A key lineup change in the defence corps from the last game was the struggling Cody Ceci getting demoted to the third pairing, with Vincent Desharnais lining up with Darnell Nurse.
PRESENTED BY BET365
Team Betting Trends
- Vancouver is 7-0 on the puck line in their last seven games as an underdog.
- Vancouver and Edmonton are 6-2 to the over this season.
- Edmonton is 1-6 on the puck line in their previous seven games as a favourite.
- Edmonton is 3-7 in their last 10 against Vancouver.
Player Prop Betting Trends
- Leon Draisaitl is back on the road, where he excelled the most this season. Draisaitl has cleared this line in three of four games during this series, averaging 4.0 shots on 7.8 shot attempts. In the playoffs as a whole, he’s cleared in six of nine games, averaging 4.3 shots on 7.2 shot attempts per game.
- Nikita Zadorov’s shots on goal line are back again on bet365. He cleared his 1.5 line last game with three shots on seven shot attempts. Zadorov has now cleared in all four games of this series. He’s clearly in the heads of this Edmonton group; expect him to get back at them tonight.
- In every betting preview, I seem to mention Brock Boeser’s point, but for good reason! He has five points in all three games this series. Throughout the playoffs, he’s averaging 1.2 points per game in nine games. In eight games against the Oilers this season, he’s registered 13 points.
- Evan Bouchard has covered his 2.5 shots on goal line in all four games this series, but his -180 odds are a little juicy, so I’m looking at 4+ shots on goal. Bouchard has registered 4+ shots on goal in the latest three games, finishing with five shots on 12 attempts, six shots on 16 attempts and four shots on eight attempts.
Best Bets for Canucks Army
- With the new line configurations of Höglander-Lindholm now with Pettersson, I think he turns the page and gets all the pressure off his back for his recent struggles. Also, it’s the late, great Rick Rypein’s 40th birthday today, and who wears number 40? What better way to honour Ryp on his 40th birthday than #40 to get on the get-back going? So we’ll be taking Elias Pettersson to register a point at -130 odds.
- Tocchet called out his team, which is out of character for him. There’s so much belief in that room with what he has to say that should speak to this group. They’re returning home where they’ve played better this season with Carson Soucy coming back, so we’ll be taking the Vancouver Canucks Money line +125 odds.
- With all of Evan Bouchard’s recent shooting prowess in this series and the Oilers needing to rely on him even further with the likely Mattias Ekholm injury, we’ll be taking Evan Bouchard 4+ shots on goal at +150 odds.
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