Canucks Still +700 Longshots to Win Western Conference After Upsetting Blues

• The Vancouver Canucks upset the St. Louis Blues in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
• Vancouver is still a +700 longshot to win the Western Conference
• Read below to see if the Canucks are worth a wager to come out of the West this postseason

The Vancouver Canucks are being listed as a +700 longshot to win the Western Conference despite knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champions, the St. Louis Blues, in Round 1. The Vegas Golden Knights are favored in the NHL Western Conference odds.

Do the Canucks present value at their current price, or is it smarter to place your bet on one of the other teams?

2020 Western Conference Odds

Odds as of August 22

Young Canucks Making Their Mark

Many of the concerns regarding the Canucks entering the 2020 postseason revolved around the team’s lack of playoff experience. Vancouver’s young core of Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes, in addition to goalie Jacob Markstrom, had never played an NHL playoff game. They quickly put those concerns to rest.

Having Pettersson and Hughes on the ice at the same time in the o-zone legitimately feels like a PP

— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) August 17, 2020

Vancouver has looked like a true playoff contender through one qualifying round and one best-of-seven round. Pettersson is tied with Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL Playoff scoring lead with 13 points through 10 games, while Hughes ranks second among all NHL defensemen with 10 points.

The Canucks are finding success in the playoffs due to their lethal offense and elite goaltending. Vancouver ranks fourth in the league in goals-scored-per-game (3.40), while Markstrom’s .929 save percentage is second-best among remaining starting goalies in the Conference.

Although this Canucks team has been fun to watch and is clearly on the upcoming, it may be a tad early to bet on them making it to the Cup Final.

Golden Knights Have Been Canucks’ Kryptonite 

If there’s one team that has given Vancouver struggles since they entered the league, it’s Vegas. The Golden Knights are 8-0-2 all-time against the Canucks and are looking like a true Stanley Cup contender through eight postseason contests. Vegas is 7-1-0 and currently leads the league in a variety of advanced stats categories, including Corsi, Fenwick and Shot Percentage.

The Canucks have to get through the Golden Knights in Round 2 of the playoffs, which doesn’t make their +700 odds to win the West all that appealing. A true value bet for Vancouver winning the West was back in June when the Canucks were in the +2000 range at online sportsbooks. Oddsmakers have caught on to the team’s talent and have adjusted their price accordingly.

If the Canucks were to beat Vegas, they would face the winner of Colorado/ Dallas in the Conference Final. Vancouver matches up better against both those teams and would have a real shot at winning in a best-of-seven series.

Monitor how Vancouver looks in the first few games of their series against Vegas. If the Golden Knights aren’t having their way with the Canucks like they’ve had in the past, there would be some value placing a longshot wager on Vancouver emerging out of the West.

Vegas Is Best Bet

The Canucks are certainly a fun team to watch given their young young core and exciting playing style, but they’re likely a couple years away from being a true Stanley Cup contender. St. Louis didn’t look like their usual selves since the beginning of the round robin, while Vegas has looked their very best ever since arriving in the Edmonton bubble.

VIVA
LAS
VEGAS

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 19, 2020

The Golden Knights are 18-3-0 since mid-February and have dominated the Canucks since entering the league. They have four capable scoring lines, an experienced d-core and two strong goaltenders in Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury. More importantly, Vegas has a relentless worth ethic and playing style that should make bettors feel very confident laying money on them.

Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (+131)