Canucks vs Golden Knights Game 2 Odds & Picks – Aug 25

• The Golden Knights blew out the Canucks 5-0 in Game 1 of their playoff series
• Game 2 will be played on Tuesday, August 25 at 9:45 PM EST
• Read below for the betting odds and game preview

The No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights will be taking a 1-0 series over the No. 5 Vancouver Canucks into Game 2 on Tuesday, August 25 at 9:45 PM EST.

After dominating Vancouver in Game 1, Vegas has opened as heavy -215 favorites in the Game 2 Canucks vs Golden Knights odds. They were only -186 favorites heading into the opening game.

Will the Canucks bounce back in Game 2 or should you bet on the powerhouse Golden Knights?

Canucks vs Golden Knights Game 2 Odds

Odds as of August 23

Canucks Get Steamrolled In Game 1

After upsetting the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in Round 1, the Canucks were dominated by Vegas in the opening game of Round 2. Reilly Smith, Alex Tuch, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty all scored, while Robin Lehner made 26 saves to lead Vegas to a 5-0 blowout victory.

The Golden Knights are ripping through their opponents in the Edmonton bubble and are now 8-1-0 this postseason. They outshot Vancouver 35-21 in Game 1 and have eight different players with multiple goals. Ryan Reaves is also making his presence felt, as he taunted the Canucks in Game 1 and goated Antoine Roussel into a 10-minute misconduct in the third period.

No Goaltending Distraction 

There was controversy surrounding the Golden Knights heading into the series after goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, tweeted out an image Saturday of Fleury being stabbed in the back with a sword from coach Peter DeBoer. The since-deleted tweet didn’t appear to have any negative impact on the locker room, as the team turned in an excellent performance in Game 1.

Robin Lehner has not allowed a goal since Allan Walsh tweeted this photo pic.twitter.com/gZpASTDH4p

— Tyler Bischoff (@Bischoff_Tyler) August 24, 2020

Lehner won’t come out and say the tweet impacted him, but you have to think it could make him even more motivated. He’s also no stranger to goalie controversies, as he battled for starts in both his Long Island and Chicago days.

In the other crease, Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom was burned for five goals on 34 shots in Game 1 and was pulled in the third period. Markstrom should rebound for Game 2, but fatigue may be a concern. The Golden Knights had five days off before facing Vancouver, while Markstrom will be making his fourth start in seven days on Tuesday.

Will Canucks Rebound? 

It wasn’t a good start for Vancouver in this series, but I wouldn’t count them out just yet. The Canucks lost Game 1 of the qualifying-round series against Minnesota before rebounding to win three straight games to eliminate the Wild. Expect Vancouver to bring their A-game for Game 2 on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to play a lot better if we’re going to win this series…I’ve got a lot of belief in our group, whenever we’ve challenged them to respond, they always come with a great effort.” – Coach Green

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) August 24, 2020

A primary reason to expect a response from Vancouver in Game 2 is due to how quiet their stars were in Game 1. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller were held just one shot on goal in Game 1, which is a rare occurrence for these talented players. The Canucks scored eight goals in two regular-season games against Vegas and are too good offensively to get shutout twice in a row.

Another storyline to monitor is whether the Golden Knights can shutdown Calder finalist Quinn Hughes for a second consecutive game. Hughes had been electric for the Canucks with 10 points in the first 10 postseason games, but the Golden Knights were hard on the forecheck and really minimized his impact in Game 1. If Vegas continues to wear down the young rearguard, the Canucks are in trouble.

The Best Bet

Despite the likelihood that Vancouver will be much better in Game 2, I’m not ready to bet against Vegas when you look at their history against the Canucks and their overall dominance this postseason. The Golden Knights have never lost to the Canucks in regulation and are now 19-3-0 overall since February 13.

b-u-z-z-i-n-g 🐝#VegasBorn | @TequilaAvion pic.twitter.com/QEqvt96gO6

— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 24, 2020

The Golden Knights are leading the entire NHL in Corsi, Fenwick, Scoring Chances and a variety of other advanced stats categories. This is a true Western Conference powerhouse that is getting contributions from all over their lineup.

Any potential goaltending distraction for Vegas has instead turned into a potential motivator for goaltender Lehner. His solid performance in Game 1 and the overall team momentum is reason to feel confident betting Vegas to take a 2-0 lead in this series.

Pick: Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline (-215)