Blues -200 Favorites Over Canucks in Opening Series Odds
- The St. Louis Blues will play the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the NHL playoffs
- The Blues won the Stanley Cup last year and have most of their core from that team back to defend the title
- See the opening odds for the series and our best bet to advance here
St. Louis Blues will open their Stanley Cup defense against the Vancouver Canucks in the opening round of the playoffs. The Blues finished fourth in the Western Conference seeding games, while the Canucks advanced past the Wild in four games in their qualifying round.
Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues Series Odds
| Team | Series Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Vancouver Canucks | +165 |
| St. Louis Blues | -200 |
Odds taken August. 10th
Most defending cup champs have the disadvantage of having played a lot of hockey over the last calendar year. With the long break due to COVID-19, the Blues don’t have to worry about that. In my opinion, the series will come down to a pair of pending unrestricted free agents.
Will Alex Pietrangelo Hoist the Cup Again?
Blues Captain Alex Pietrangelo is criminally underpaid but that will change this summer. He made only $6.5 million this year as one of the best defensemen in the game. He scored 16 goals and added 36 assists in 70 games. Those numbers were two shy of his career-high, which he definitely would have eclipsed if the regular season didn’t shut down.
Craig Berube shares his thoughts on today's game, the round-robin tournament and the upcoming series vs. Vancouver. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/Eqmsh2a6Wx
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 9, 2020
Pietrangelo is a rare breed on the back end. He’s tasked with both providing offense and shutting down the opposing team’s best players. He was one of only five Blues to tally more than 50 points in the regular season and did so while finishing +11. Before he breaks the bank this summer, St. Louis will need a big playoff series from him to get by the Canucks.
Jacob Markstrom Will Be Key for the Canucks
The Canucks finally found their franchise goalie, just in time for him to potentially walk out the door once free agency opens. In this series, they’ll need him to be at his best to have a chance. He was 23-16-4 in the regular season while posting a 2.75 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. He was hit and miss in Vancouver’s play-in series against Minnesota and will need to be much more consistent against the Blues.
Canucks vs Blues Season Stats
| 3.23 (8th) | Goals P/G | 3.14 T-14th) |
| 24.1% (4th) | PP% | 24.3% (3rd) |
| 3.10 (T-19th) | Goals Against P/G | 2.68 (5th) |
| 80.5% (16th) | PK% | 79.3% (18th) |
The issue here is even if Markstrom plays at a high-level, he’ll still be in tough to equal the production of Blues goalie Jordan Binnington. One has won a Stanley Cup, the other has never appeared in an NHL playoff game (the play-in series don’t count as official playoff games). It certainly appears St. Louis has the edge in goal, which is a big deal in a seven-game series.
Trust the Cup Champs to Advance
I believe Pietrangelo will be a bigger difference-maker in this series than Markstrom. There is plenty of other talent on both sides but I think these two will be the key. Pietrangelo plays almost half the game for the Blues and quarterbacks the third-best power play in the league. Look for him to help make life mighty difficult on Markstrom and help the Blues continue their quest for back to back championships.
The Pick: St. Louis Blues (-200)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
