The race for the Presidents’ Trophy is getting tighter as we head into the home stretch of the NHL regular season. The Vancouver Canucks (91 points) are tied for the second-most in the league, and are heating up at the right time. On Wednesday, they will host the equally red-hot Colorado Avalanche, as both teams look to make it five wins in a row.
These are two of the top teams not only in the Western Conference, but the NHL as a whole. If you’re considering betting on the action, let’s take a look at the matchup, the betting trends, and which wagers you should be considering.
Bet on Avalanche vs. Canucks
COL -110
VAN -110
Avalanche vs. Canucks odds
| Avalanche Moneyline Odds | -110 |
| Canucks Moneyline Odds | -110 |
| Puckline odds | Avalanche -1.5 (+200), Canucks +1.5 (-245) |
| Total | 6.5 goals (over -115, under -105) |
| Time/Date | March 13, 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Pacific Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Avalanche (41-20-5 SU, 33-33 ATS, 37-28-1 o/u)
The Avalanche are playing very well, but they’ll need to keep up the intensity if they want to win the Central Division. The division is arguably the toughest in the league, and despite having won their last four, the Avalanche sit in third place, tied with the Winnipeg Jets (who have two games in hand) and the Dallas Stars (two points ahead).
Fortunately for the Avs, the offence has been a juggernaut of late. There have been blemishes, most recently a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Nashville Predators on March 2, but the pucks have been finding the back of the net for the Avs. They’ve scored five goals or more in five of their last seven games, most recently in a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
With that being said, the schedule is getting tougher. They play against the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers (three times), New York Rangers, Predators, Stars, Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights in their remaining games. The battle will probably be ongoing way up through their final game on April 18 against the Oilers in Denver.
One subplot to watch in Colorado is Nathan MacKinnon’s chase for his first Hart Trophy. He leads the NHL with 113 points in 66 games and has been an absolute maniac lately. He has four straight multi-point games, including back-to-back four-point games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. If the Avs claim the Central, it will be on the back of Mack.
About the Canucks (42-17-7 SU, 37-29 ATS, 36-27-3 o/u)
The Canucks are still playing well, even if they haven’t been showing quite the same aggression that they were for much of the season. When you have a 10-point lead in the division, though, that can happen. Indeed, if you’re a Canucks fan, there’s probably a part of you that’s still pinching yourself when you look at the Pacific Division standings, and that double-digit gap over the Golden Knights.
The Canucks are now tied with the Boston Bruins for the second-most points in the NHL, behind the Florida Panthers with 94. They have also managed to win their last four as well, so momentum is certainly on their side. Their schedule through the rest of the season is tough — they play the Golden Knights twice, the Stars, and the Oilers — but not too tough that a Presidents’ Trophy is out of the question.
Indeed, in recent weeks, wins over the Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Jets, and Knights have re-established that this Vancouver team is a force to be reckoned with. They’ve been consistently scoring goals and breaking through tough defences, and it’s no surprise that by now, they have the third-most goals in the league, behind only the Stars and Avalanche.
Overall, this Canucks roster has what it takes to do something big this season. J.T. Miller continues to have the best season of his career, currently sixth in the NHL with 85 points in 66 games. He and Elias Pettersson (79 points) will need to finish out the regular season on a strong note if they hope to win the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since 2012.
Quinn Hughes over 0.5 assists
-150
Last matchup
It has been about a month since these two teams last met. That game was in Denver, and it did not go to plan for the Canucks. Miller scored the only goal of the first period to give the Canucks the early lead, but that would be all they could manage.
The Avalanche wound up getting a pair from Ryan Johansen (now since traded) as well as a goal from Artturi Lehkonen to earn the decisive 3-1 victory. The Avalanche look a bit different now after trading Johansen and Bowen Byran to ultimately acquire Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker at the deadline.
Key injuries
The Avalanche have been missing both Gabriel Landeskog and Pavel Francouz for much of the year, so that’s no surprise. The only name of note is Lehkonen, who missed Tuesday’s game against the Flames due to an illness and will likely be a game-time decision against Vancouver.
Goaltender Thatcher Demko is the biggest missing piece for the Canucks. He has an undisclosed injury that is expected to keep him out 2-3 weeks, so that situation bears watching. Other than that, defenceman Tyler Myers (lower body) may be available to slot back into the lineup against the Avalanche tonight.
Betting trends
- The Avalanche have been a machine when covering of late. In this latest stretch, where they have won six of seven, they have covered in each of them, winning by at least four goals in all of those victories. The only failure to cover came in the aforementioned 5-1 loss to the Predators on March 2.
- Likewise, the Canucks are hot against the puckline. They are already the fifth-best team in the NHL in that regard and they have also covered in their last four games.
- The Canucks may have one of the best offences in the league but they also happen to be quite good defensively. For that reason, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they have hit the under in their last four games. In that stretch, they’ve held opponents to three goals combined.
Player prop trends
- Quinn Hughes is quietly getting hot once again. The NHL’s leader in points among defencemen with 76 has tallied at least one in his last four games, including a pair of multi-point games. In that stretch, he has an assist in three of those games.
- How can you not talk about what MacKinnon is doing? Sure, he has multiple points in his last four games (and is averaging 1.71 points per game this year) but he is also lighting the lamp at a prodigious pace. He has at least one goal in seven of his last nine games, including six of the last seven.
- Miller has been a man possessed. In his last 10 games, he has a point in nine of them and is averaging 1.5 points per game. He has taken over as the premier offensive player for the Canucks and it is showing in every way.
Wagers to consider
- Demko is out of the lineup and both teams can score with the best of them (they both are the best of them, to be fair). For that reason, the over (6.5, -115) should be well within reach and it could happen with plenty of time to spare.
- Given the state of the Avalanche’s schedule, MacKinnon will need to keep up the good work. He is +105 to score anytime, something he has done a lot of late. Until he proves otherwise, take him to score at least once in this one.
- Hughes is finding his playmaking game again of late with assists in three of his last four games. We like him to keep that streak going, so look for him to top 0.5 assists (-150) in this one.
