Despite being on the verge of elimination in the opening round of the NHL Playoffs, the Nashville Predators just won’t go away. In what has been a tough, offensively challenging series, the Predators found a way to score when it mattered most. Their reward? A trip back to Nashville for Game 6.
For the Vancouver Canucks, who won the Pacific Division and had one of the best records in the league, there is going to be plenty of frustration. More importantly, there is the task of closing out the series on the road, in a place where they have struggled, yet managed, to find results.
Bet on Canucks vs. Predators Game 6
Let’s get into our expert betting preview for Game 6.
Canucks vs. Predators best odds
| Canucks Moneyline Odds | +113 @ Pinnacle |
| Predators Moneyline Odds | -125 @ Betway |
| Puckline odds | Predators -1.5 (+212) @ Pinnacle Canucks +1.5 (-225) @ Bet99 |
| Series odds | Canucks -310, Predators +250 @ bet365 |
| Total | Over 5.5 goals (+102) @ Pinnacle Under 5.5 goals (-112) @ PROLINE + |
| Time/Date | May 3, 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet, CBC Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Last matchup (Game 5)
Despite the offensive firepower that the Canucks possess, Game 5 really underscored the struggles that they have faced in this series. For 40 minutes, both sides struggled to get shots on net, a theme in the series so far.
Early into the third period, Canucks’ fan favourite and defensive behemoth, Nikita Zadorov, made an uncharacteristic rush forward. Weaving in and out of traffic, he roofed a tough angle shot to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead.
Just four minutes later, fellow defenceman Roman Josi answered on the power play with his first of the series to quiet the home crowd and knot things up 1-1. Finally, another defenceman broke the tie and sealed the game. Alexandre Carrier, more known for blocking shots (he had three), tallied his first of the playoffs and the Predators never looked back.
Betting Vancouver Canucks (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS, 2-3 o/u)
Even if the Canucks walk away from this series and advance to the next round, there have to be major concerns. The offence hasn’t found its way often, with the best results coming in short but effective bursts.
Take away two goals in rapid succession in Game 1 and a late pair from Brock Boeser in Game 4 and this series could be over – in Nashville’s favour. For what was one of the top offences in hockey, it has largely been absent in the series.
Part of it has to do with shot availability. Once again, the Canucks managed just 20 shots in Game 5. That is one off of their series-high of 21 shots. For a team with the top six that Vancouver has, not to mention the offensive strength they have on the back end, that is unacceptable.
Yet here we are, five games into the series, and the Canucks haven’t found an answer. They remain restricted to the perimeter in the offensive zone, oftentimes throwing shots off of legs and sticks of waiting defenders. Even if they do manage to get out of this series, the Canucks will still have to take a long look at their offensive performance.
Betting Nashville Predators (2-3 SU, 2-3 ATS, 2-3 o/u)
For both Predators fans and players, Game 6 will feel like the least they deserve. From the outside looking in, the first Wild Card team playing a division winner this closely would be seen as a win. Keeping things this tight would certainly be seen as a positive.
And yet, the fact of the matter is that the Predators have been the better team in this series. Twice in this series, they have been in a position to close out games and failed to do so. A missed empty-netter in Game 4 is no doubt the most glaring of those failures, directly leading to Boeser tying the game before Vancouver won in overtime.
The formula has been relatively simple. Juuse Saros has been solid in this series for the most part. Defencemen are doing a solid job of getting in front of the few shots that the Canucks actually manage to attempt.
The plan is working, but the Predators badly need to learn how to capitalize when opportunities arise. They can’t afford to let the Canucks off the hook as they have done multiple times so far in this series. Either way, it isn’t over yet.
Projected Canucks and Predators lines
| Today’s Vancouver Canucks Lines | Today’s Nashville Predators Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Pius Suter – J.T. Miller – Brock Boeser Nils Hoglander – Elias Pettersson – Ilya Mikheyev Dakota Joshua – Elias Lindholm – Conor Garland Phil Di Giuseppe – Teddy Blueger – Sam Lafferty Defence Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers Ian Cole – Nikita Zadorov Starting In Goal Arturs Silovs Playoffs: (1-1, 2.57 GAA, .904%) | Forwards Filip Forsberg – Ryan O’Reilly – Gustav Nyquist Mark Jankowski – Tommy Novak – Luke Evangelista Anthony Beauvillier – Colton Sissons – Jason Zucker Cole Smith– Michael McCarron – Kiefer Sherwood Defence Donte Fabbro – Roman Josi Jeremy Lauzon – Alexandre Carrier Ryan McDonagh – Tyson Barrie Starting In Goal Juuse Saros Playoffs: (2-3, 2.21 GAA, .879%) Season: 35-24-5, 2.86 GAA, 0.906 SV% |
Casey DeSmith was cleared after missing Game 4 yet remained in a backup role to Silovs for Game 5. Once again, it remains to be seen who will be in net for the Canucks when the puck drops on Game 6. Unless something is announced, the Canucks look like they will stick with Silovs.
Brock Boeser to score
Canucks vs. Predators injury concerns
For the Predators, a couple of defencemen – Luke Schenn and Spencer Stastney – have been listed as day-to-day with undisclosed injuries. Barrie is slotted in for Schenn at the moment. There is no one on the Canucks’ injured list, but all eyes will be on DeSmith. He served as backup in Game 5, but his immediate future is unknown.
NHL betting trends
- Going back to the end of the regular season, the Canucks have hit the over in just three of their last eight games. Ignoring Game 1 of this series, the Canucks and Predators have hit the under in three of the last four games.
- Offence has been tough to come by in the playoffs for the Predators. Going back to the 2022 first round against Colorado, the Predators have scored more than three goals just once. That’s a span of nine games, FYI.
- Despite their struggles in the series, the Canucks are still on the plus side when it comes to the puckline. If you go back to the final five games of the regular season, the Canucks are 6-4 against the puckline over their last 10 games.
Player prop trends
- Elias Lindholm was brought in to make an impact on the middle six for the Canucks. For a guy that ended the regular season with points in five of six, he has been quiet. Lindholm has points in just two games in the series so far, though one of them was the Game 5 overtime winner.
- Don’t look now, but Josi is on a bit of a streak. After picking up an assist in Game 1, Josi went without a point in the two games to follow. He now has points in back-to-back games, including the goal that tied things late into Game 5.
- Silovs, tasked with being the third man up in net for the Canucks, has been up to the task. In his first two career playoff starts, Silovs is 1-1 but has delivered a .900 or better save percentage in each (he had a .909% in the Game 5 loss).
Canucks vs. Predators predictions
- Given the way this series has unfolded, the under is probably the safest bet you can find (5.5 goals, -112 @ PROLINE +). This has been a series dominated by blocked shots, and two late flurries are the only thing keeping this from being five consecutive unders.
- Speaking of shots, another easy bet to make has been on saves — or the lack thereof — for Predators goalie Saros. The Canucks have topped out at 21 shots in this series, so look for Saros to hit his under on saves (23.5, -105 @ Pinnacle) once again in Game 6.
- Boeser has been a rare glimmer of consistency when it comes to scoring goals in this series for the Canucks. He was quiet in Game 5, but look for him to get back on the stat sheet in Game 6 (+195 anytime @ FanDuel, +900 first scorer @ FanDuel).
