Predators vs Canucks Game 1 Odds, Prediction & Picks (Apr. 21)

• The Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators play Game 1 on Sunday night
• The Canucks vs Predators odds favor Vancouver to take Game 1 at home
• Read below for our Game 1 Predators vs Canucks prediction and picks

The Vancouver Canucks are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they begin their 2024 postseason run on Sunday night against the Nashville Predators. Game 1 of Preds vs Canucks goes 10:00 pm ET at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

The Game 1 Vancouver vs Nashville odds favor Rick Tochhet’s team to secure victory in the opening game of the series. The over/under is set at 5.5 for a matchup between goalies Thatcher Demko and Juuse Saros.

Let’s get into our Predators cs Canucks Game 1 prediction, as we analyze the odds and provide you the best picks.

Game 1 Predators vs Canucks Odds

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Canucks Betting Analysis

The Vancouver Canucks are hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2015, and the home-ice advantage has helped made them the favorite to advance in the Round 1 NHL Playoff odds. Vancouver did make the playoffs in 2020, but the series was played in the Edmonton bubble due to the pandemic.

The Canucks swept the three-game season series with Nashville in 2023-24, with two of those wins coming on the Predators’ home ice. The Canucks ranked top-to in both goals (2.70) and goals against during the regular season.

Vancouver is led by captain Quinn Hughes, who paced all NHL blueliners with 92 points this season. Hughes is the clear favorite in the 2024 Norris odds. Forward JT Miller cracked the 100-point plateau for the first time in his NHL career, while star Elias Pettersson had 34 points and 89 points.

The big storyline for Vancouver right now is the health of Thatcher Demko, who recently returned after missing over a month with a knee injury. In two starts since returning from a knee injury, the 28-year-old has gone 1-1-0 with a .938 save percentage.

Predators Betting Analysis

Nashville is returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after their eight-year postseason streak came to an end in 2023. The Preds nabbed the first Wild Card seed in the NHL Playoff Bracket thanks to an incredible 16-0-2 run from Feb. 17-March 26.

The Preds are powered by elite goal-scorer Filip Forsberg, who set the franchise record with 48 tallies (94 points) this season. No other forward on the team put up more than 75 points, although blueline Roman Josi made a compelling Norris case with 23 goals and 62 assists (85 points).

After finishing the 2023-24 season just two goals shy of 50, Filip Forsberg looks to continue that scoring pace in the #StanleyCup Playoffs. 🫡

Watch Game 1 between the @PredsNHL and @Canucks TONIGHT at 10p ET on @espn, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports! pic.twitter.com/NO5BE2WV3D

— NHL (@NHL) April 21, 2024

Nashville’s true chance of winning this series is likely in the goalie crease, as netminder Juuse Saros can be a game-breaker. The Finnish netminder is having a bit of a down year with a .906 save percentage and 2.86 GAA, but he’s proven in the past he can steal games on his own.

Nashville’s special teams are a potential concern in this series, as the Preds are ranking in the bottom half of the league for both penalty kill percentage (76.9%) and power-play percentage (21%)

Predators vs Canucks Game 1 Prediction

The Canucks took the season series, but that was before the Preds significantly improved their play and went on their dominant run. Over the last 25 games, the Preds actually have superior expected goal totals (56.5%) and Corsi numbers (54.6%) in relation to Vancouver.

It’s no secret that the Canucks have an irregularly-high PDO this season, which is a stat that measures puck luck. This has several advanced stats experts forecasting an eventual Canucks regression at some point. However, the team has been defying the metrics all season, and now has their elite goalie healthy.

We do like the value on Nashville on paper, but the Canucks will likely feed off the incredible atmosphere at Rogers Arena as playoffs return to the city. Futhermore, the Preds have lost their last seven first-round games.

Our best Nashville vs Vancouver Round 1 bet is for the game to go to overtime (+300 at Bet365 ). Three of the previous six meetings have required extra sessions, and a potential goalie duel between Saros and Demko could give us the first OT game of the 2024 NHL postseason.

NASH vs VAN Pick:

• Tied After Regulation (+300)