The Vancouver Canucks will look to extend their winning streak to four games Saturday night in Vegas.
With both teams missing key personnel – Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson for the road team and Shea Theodore for the home side – my Canucks vs. Golden Knights expect the offenses to struggle to find the net.
Let’s break things down further with my February 22 NHL picks.
Canucks vs Golden Knights prediction
My Canucks pick
Under 5.5 (-122 at Pinnacle)
My Canucks analysis
The Vancouver Canucks are not having a great offensive season. They rank 21st in goals per game, and through 55 games, no forward on their roster has more than 35 points.
J.T. Miller was shipped out of town before he could clear that mark while top weapons like Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser have not lived up to expectation.
Things aren’t getting any easier for them as Pettersson, as well as captain Quinn Hughes, will not be available due to injury.
Knowing they don’t have the ability to win track meet-type games, head coach Rick Tocchet has his guys leaning even further into a tight-checking, defensive brand of hockey.
That was especially evident in the 10 games leading up to the 4 Nations break. The Canucks ranked 31st in 5v5 pace while slotting near the top of the league in almost every key defensive metric.
They aren’t allowing shots – even of low quality – with much regularity, allowing them to hang around in games and making life much easier on Kevin Lankinen.
He should be able to hold up against a Las Vegas Golden Knights squad that ranked 24th in 5v5 goals over their final 10 games heading into the break.
Making matters worse for Vegas is they’ll be without star offensive defenseman Shea Theodore due to an injury suffered while playing for Team Canada. His absence takes a lot of offense out of a lineup already struggling to score.
This should also have the Golden Knights leaning more heavily on their structure and defensive game. That’s certainly a good recipe for success, as they limited shots and expected goals better than every team in the league leading up to the 4 Nations tournament.
These two sides met back in December and played an extremely tight, low-event game. Only three non-empty net goals were scored, while the two sides combined for just 41 shots on target.
There’s not much reason to expect anything different this time around.
Canucks vs Golden Knights odds analysis
The line initially moved noticeably in Vancouver’s direction, shifting from +153 at open to +141 at one point Friday afternoon. Then came the news Pettersson nor Hughes would be available, which saw the odds shift drastically the other way.
The Golden Knights are now trading as -180 favorites, which is tough to argue given their home success and the key absentees Vancouver is dealing with.
We’ve seen a consistent movement towards the Under. Initially opening with a plus-money price tag, the Under is now trading at -122.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Canucks vs Golden Knights odds
Canucks vs Golden Knights live odds
Canucks vs Golden Knights opening odds
- Puck line: Vancouver +1.5 (-175) | Vegas -1.5 (+150)
- Moneyline: Vancouver (+153) | Vegas (-174)
- Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-116) | Under 5.5 (+102)
Odds courtesy of Pinnacle
Canucks vs Golden Knights trend
Both Vancouver and Vegas have cashed more Unders than Overs this season. Find more NHL betting trends for Canucks vs. Golden Knights. Find more NHL betting trends for Canucks vs. Golden Knights.
How to watch Canucks vs Golden Knights
| Location | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV |
| Date | Saturday, 2-22-2025 |
| Puck drop | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | CBC |
Canucks vs Golden Knights latest injuries
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