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Canucks vs Golden Knights Game 1 Odds & Picks – Aug. 23

Brady Trettenero

by Brady Trettenero in NHL Hockey

Updated Aug 22, 2020 · 10:27 PM PDT

The Golden Knights are heavy -186 favorites over the Canucks in Game 1 on Sunday, August 23 at 10:30 PM EST. Will Vancouver upset another Western Conference contender? See the odds and best bets for the series opener.
  • The No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights play the No. 5 Vancouver Canucks in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will be played on Sunday, August 23 at 10:30 PM EST
  • Read below for our game preview and best bet

Can the underdog Vancouver Canucks upset another Western Conference powerhouse? Vancouver has opened as a +160 underdog to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Sunday, August 23 at 10:30 PM EST.

Vegas has dominated Vancouver since entering the league, but the underestimated Canucks could change the narrative this postseason. We offer our best bet for the opening game in the Canucks vs Golden Knights odds, below.

Canucks vs Golden Knights Game 1 Odds

Team Moneyline Puckline Total Odds at DraftKings
Vancouver Canucks +160 +1.5 (-177) O 5.5 (-113)
Vegas Golden Knights -186 -1.5 (+148) U 5.5 (-108)

Odds as of August 22

Knight(s) In Shining Armour

Vegas is now 7-1-0 this postseason after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vegas has been been getting excellent production from all over their lineup and rank second in the league in goals-per-game (3.75). Mark Stone and Reilly Smith both have eight points, while Shea Theodore is proving to be a force on the blueline with four goals and three assists.

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Not only are the Golden Knights converting on their chances, but they’ve been dominating possession since arriving in the Edmonton bubble. Vegas leads the entire league in Corsi-percentage (59.53 CF%), Fenwick-percentage (61.81 FF%) and Shot-percentage (60.16 SF%) in these playoffs. It’s no surprise they are the favorites in the 2020 Stanley Cup odds.

The Golden Knights also have two reliable goaltenders in Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury.  Lehner is 5-1-0 this postseason with a 2.44 GAA and .904 save percentage, while Fleury is 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and an .886 save percentage. If Lehner happens to struggle, the Knights can feel confident turning to the playoff veteran Fleury.

Underdog Canucks On Cinderella Run

The Canucks continue to prove many experts and oddsmakers wrong this season. Not only was Vancouver picked by many to lose in the qualifying round to Minnesota, but they were listed as underdogs in every single first-round game against the St. Louis Blues. They knocked off the defending cup champs in six games.

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The Canucks have been getting outstanding production from their young core, in addition to strong goaltending from Jacob Markstrom. Elias Pettersson has a team-leading 13 points, while captain Bo Horvat has scored six times. Calder Trophy finalist Quinn Hughes has a goal and nine assists, while Markstrom owns a stellar 2.44 GAA and .929 save percentage.

The main concern for Vancouver is they typically don’t matchup well with Vegas. The Canucks have gone 2-7-1 all-time against the Golden Knights since Vegas entered the league in 2017. The Canucks did win the last meeting back in December (5-4 OT), but they were still outscored 10-8 in the season series.

What’s The Best Bet?

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canucks managed to steal a game or two in this series, but you have to side with Vegas in the opener based on how much they’ve dominated possession throughout this postseason. Their history against Vancouver is the cherry on top.

Canucks vs Golden Knights Playoff Stats

Canucks
VS
Golden Knights
28.2 (18th) Shots P/G 35.5 (5th)
3.40 (4th) Goals P/G 3.75 (2nd)
26.2% (6th) PP% 19.1% (8th)
2.60 (11th) Goals Against P/G 2.63 (12th)
81.0% (14th) PK% 86.4% (7th)

The Canucks got some much-need depth scoring in the later games against St. Louis, but that typically wasn’t the case for them in the regular season. Vancouver relies heavily on their top two scoring lines and goalie Jacob Markstrom, and the more complete Golden Knights have exposed that weakness in numerous meetings over the years.

Vegas is one of the only teams in these playoffs without a glaring weakness. They’ve been resting since their first-round series ended on Tuesday and should have their way with a potentially fatigued Canucks team in the opening game of this series.

Pick: Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline (-186)

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