Canucks vs Blues Game 2 Odds and Pick – Aug 14

• The Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series
• Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played on Friday, August 14 at 6:30 PM EST
• Read below for our game preview and best bet

The No. 5 Vancouver Canucks beat the No. 4 St. Louis Blues 5-2 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday.  With a 1-0 series lead, the Canucks have still opened as +120 underdogs in Game 2 on Friday, August 14 at 6:30 PM EST. The Blues are -139 Game 2 favorites in the Canucks vs Blues odds.

Should you bet on the Blues bouncing back in Game 2? Are the Canucks better value at plus-money?

Canucks vs Blues Game 2 Odds

Odds as of August 12

The Canucks were +130 underdogs in Game 1 against St. Louis. They’ve seen a slight increase in their Game 2 odds, but oddsmakers clearly still believe the Blues are the better team.

Series Will Be a Battle 

Game 1 between the Blues and Canucks was a very tightly played game that was ultimately won by goaltending. The Canucks were outshot 33-21 by the Blues, but were able to take a 1-0 series lead thanks to a terrific performance from Jacob Markstrom. Captain Bo Horvat also came through in the clutch with a pair of goals.

The Blues exerted their physical dominance in Game 1 as they out-hit Vancouver 30-18. They also took six minor penalties, however, which proved costly. The Canucks have one of the most dangerous power plays in the league and made St. Louis pay by striking three times with the man advantage in Game 1.

Horvat, Elias Pettersson, and J.T. Miller all got on the board for Vancouver in Game 1, while David Perron and Jaden Schwartz scored the goals for St. Louis. Blues’ forwards Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko have yet to score this postseason, which is a problem when up against a talented offensive team like Vancouver.

Will Blues Bounce Back? 

The Blues are no strangers to dropping Game 1’s in the playoffs. St. Louis lost Game 1 of both the Western Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final last season and bounced back to win Game 2 in both of those series.

Didn't go our way tonight. Regroup and look to even the series in Game 2 on Friday. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/LUwFG0uQJ3

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 13, 2020

While they’re no strangers to playoff adversity, the bigger concern is that the Blues have now lost five straight games if you include a 4-0 exhibition loss to Chicago. Their offensive struggles go back even longer than that. Dating back to the regular season, St. Louis has been held to two or fewer goals in seven of their last nine games.

The Blues are a decent bet to bounce back in Game 1, but the play of goalie Jordan Binnington is worrisome. The Blues’ netminder has given up 11 goals in his last two starts and will need to be on the top of his game if St. Louis is going to have any chance at winning this series.

Betting Advice

The Canucks have won four straight games, while the Blues have lost four straight. The advanced stats will tell you St. Louis was the better team in Game 1, but I’m reluctant to jump ship given Binnington’s lackluster play and how well the Canucks’ stars are clicking.

M🤩🤩D pic.twitter.com/fML3CrXbkh

— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) August 13, 2020

One trend worth monitoring for St. Louis right now is their play in third periods. Since the start of the round-robin round, the Blues have been outscored 9-0 in the third period. That isn’t a recipe for success against a young and hungry Canucks team that’s going to have plenty of fresh legs in the final frame.

The Canucks are rolling right now and have exploded for 17 goals over the last four games. The Blues played well at 5-on-5 in Game 1, but the value lies with Vancouver. Roll with the Canucks, especially at plus-money, until they get slowed down.

Pick: Vancouver Canucks Moneyline (+120)