The Vancouver Canucks took care of business Saturday afternoon, as six different scorers found the back of the net in the team’s blowout win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Thanks to Saturday’s win, Sunday’s matchup versus the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights is still a meaningful game from a Canucks perspective. The Golden Knights hold a record of 19-13-5 on the road this season and will also be playing back-to-back after earning a 3-2 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

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

It took an ugly overtime winner from Rielly Smith, but the Knights were able to hang on and earn two points from last night’s matchup. As a result, they remain three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings in what has become a fairly interesting race for the division title.

The Knights outshot the Flames 34 to 23 and allowed only six high-danger scoring chances. As their high-quality defensive core is currently at full strength, which has been a rare occurrence over the last two seasons, they should continue to be one of the league’s best defensive sides moving forward.

If Jack Eichel’s play during the Knights’ Stanley Cup run did not already make it clear enough that he is now one of the game’s most dominant two-way centres, his 2024-25 regular season certainly has. Eichel leads the team with 93 points in 75 games played and has been dominant on the defensive side of the puck.

The Knights rank 11th in goals scored per game over their last 10 matchups and have been slightly less productive since Tomas Hertl suffered a shoulder injury on March 23rd. Hertl had been in tremendous form prior to the injury and is a key piece on the Knights’ league-leading power play unit.

Over the last 15 games, the Knights hold a 56.13% expected goal share and have allowed only 2.44 xGA/60, which is second best, behind only the Kings’ mark of 2.38. Expected goals against per 60 was a significant indicator of playoff success last season, as three of the four conference finalists ranked sixth or higher in the metric.

Adin Hill is expected to get the start in goal after serving as backup on Saturday. He holds a .907 save percentage and 2.50 GAA in 47 appearances this season.

The Canucks responded to an early deficit in dominant fashion on Saturday, scoring the fastest five goals in franchise history (4:30) to blow the game wide open, allowing the team to coast to a comfortable victory.

The team exhibited a well-balanced offensive attack in Saturday’s matchup and was particularly threatening with the man advantage, scoring two power play goals in the first period. Over the last 10 games the Canucks have succeeded on 27.3% opportunities, and the team’s penalty kill ranks first in the league with a 90.5% success rate in the same span.

There have been a number of young talents that have stepped up for the team recently, and in last night’s game, it was Elias Pettersson (D) who made a notable impact and was rewarded with his first NHL goal. Head coach Rick Tocchet and Brock Boeser offered a ton of praise for Pettersson after the game; he seems to be very well-liked inside the room.

The Canucks hold a 50.84% expected goal share over the last 15 games and a record of 7-6-2 in that span. It may not ultimately be enough for the team to earn a playoff berth, but there are a number of skaters that have elevated their game down the stretch to help cover the losses of Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil.

Kevin Lankinen has been confirmed as the starting goaltender in this matchup. He holds an .899 save percentage and 2.66 GAA in 47 appearances this season.

While the Knights are clearly the superior team, this particular spot could lend itself to a desperate Canucks side hanging around on home ice. Vegas has been in relatively mediocre offensive form for a fairly lengthy sample of play but has found success winning close-knit, tight-checking affairs.

It would make sense if this matchup followed a somewhat comparable script to what we saw in last night’s matchup between the Knights and Flames, with Rick Tocchet’s side doing their best to minimize mistakes and hang around in a low-event game.

At a price of +135, the Canucks would be my lean in terms of betting a side in this matchup. My favourite play, however, lies in backing the game to require overtime at a hefty price of +325, as it seems like a good spot to expect close scorelines throughout.