The Vancouver Canucks will look to extend their winning streak to four games as they begin a critical stretch of play with a matchup versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Canucks are 6-3-1 over the last ten games, which has provided them with a three-point cushion over the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot. The Canucks appear set to play without Captain Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson in this matchup, and are heavy underdogs versus a Golden Knights side sporting a 19-6-3 record on home ice this season.

I’ll detail the relevant game notes, as well as outline my favourite betting angle below.

For a Canucks side which has dealt with a ton of injuries this season, including a critical one currently with Hughes sidelined, the rest that came with the 4 Nations Face-Off could prove particularly useful. Hopefully it won’t mean losing any of the momentum the team had built prior to the lay-off though, as the team was in its best stretch of play in several months.

Vancouver has six matchups remaining before the March 7th trade deadline, and the results of those matchups could dictate GM Patrik Allvin’s decisions on the team’s potential trade candidates.

While there are some pieces of the Canucks’ roster that could still be moved ahead of the deadline, the most notable moves have likely already been made, and to this point, those deals do look to be helping the team find better results.

Defender Marcus Pettersson has been rock-steady so far for the Canucks, and the defensive core could be significantly improved once Hughes returns from injury.

Filip Chytil has put up three points in four games since being acquired from the New York Rangers, while averaging 18:40 of TOI per game and offering strong play in all areas of the ice. The 25-year-old had been highly effective in limited usage with New York and has thrived in the early going with the Canucks while taking on a larger role.

Drew O’Connor has also brought some great energy into the lineup, and could prove to be more than a throw-in from the team’s trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Excluding the night the Canucks traded away J.T. Miller, in which they played without the players that were acquired in the deal, they are 3-0-1 since the trade. They hold a 58.55% expected goal share in those matchups, and have generated 3.44 xGF/60. While Miller is a game-breaker at his best, the trade resolved a situation that had become quite ugly and netted three players who have been impactful in a small sample.

With Thatcher Demko sidelined once again due to injury, Kevin Lankinen is set to make his first start since signing a five-year deal with the team. Lankinen holds a +1.6 GSAx rating and .905 save percentage in 34 games played this season.

While the 4 Nations Face-Off was a massive success, the Golden Knights organization surely isn’t thrilled that it resulted in the loss of top defender Shea Theodore, who is week-to-week after suffering an arm injury in the first period versus Sweden in the tournament opener.

The Knights will also be without in this matchup William Karlsson, while the statuses of Tanner Pearson and Victor Olofsson is unclear.

Jack Eichel was fantastic in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and appears to have come out of the tournament unscathed. Captain Mark Stone also had a solid showing, and also appears to be good to go in this matchup. It might be critical for Eichel and Stone to remain at their best in this matchup, as the Knights offence has looked quite lethargic prior to the break.

Over the last ten games the Knights are just 4-3-3, and have scored just 2.90 goals per game in that span. Their 58.55% expected goal share in that span suggests positive regression could be on the horizon, but a lack of offensive flair further down the lineup has been a clear concern lately.

The Knights have converted on 34.8% of power play opportunities over the last ten games, and hold the NHL’s second best power play success rate overall this season. It will be a significantly different without it’s regular quarterback being Theodore though, a role which will likely be overtaken by Alex Pietrangelo in this matchup.

Adin Hill is expected to get the start in this matchup. He holds a +8.8 GSAx rating and .900 save percentage in 34 games played this season.

The Canucks entered the break in tremendous form, receiving meaningful contributions from all of their newcomers. The loss of Hughes remains critical, but the play of Marcus Pettersson and Elias Pettersson (D) has helped to offset his absence to some extent. At his best the loss of Elias Pettersson (F) certainly hurts, but he has not been in overly strong form of late, and his confirmed absence has led to the Canucks becoming a significantly larger underdog in this matchup.

As these two sides play for the first time in several weeks we may not see the sharpest game, which could lend itself to increased volatility.

At their current price of +181, we look to be getting a good number to see if the Canucks can build on their strong recent play, and earn another critical win on the road.