Subscribe
Follow Us
The Tampa Bay Lightning will travel to British Columbia to face the Vancouver Canucks. It will be a thriller at Rogers Arena as we share our NHL odds series and make a Lightning-Canucks prediction and pick.
The Lightning are 17-6 in their past 23 games against the Canucks, with all the wins happening in regulation. Recently, the Lightning won 4-1 over the Canucks on October 16, 2024, at Amalie Arena. The Bolts are 8-2 in the past 10 games against the Canucks.
Here are the Lightning-Canucks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Lightning-Canucks Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning: +1.5 (-250)
Moneyline: +104
Vancouver Canucks: -1.5 (+198)
Moneyline: -125
Over: 6.5 (+114)
Under: 6.5 (-140)
How To Watch Lightning vs Canucks
Time: 4 PM ET/1 PM PT
TV: ESPN+ and FDSS
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Lightning Could Cover the Spread/Win
Despite many changes over the years, the Lightning are still contenders to make the playoffs, but they might not be at the heart of royalty anymore. Yet, they are still doing enough to win games while looking terrifying. They just snapped a four-game losing streak by blowing out the San Jose Sharks 8-1. Now, they will begin a four-game road trip that includes three games in Western Canada. They will need all their offense.
The Bolts rank seventh in goals and assists. Additionally, they are second in the NHL in shooting percentage. The Bolts have also remained above average on the powerplay, ranking ninth.
Nikita Kucherov did not play against the Sharks. His status for this game is unknown, as he has 12 goals and 22 assists. Brandon Hagel has 12 goals and 19 assists. Moreover, he is currently on a three-game point streak. Brayden Point has 16 goals and nine assists. Remarkably, he just registered four assists against the Sharks. Defenseman Victor Hedman also added two assists. Significantly, this puts him at four goals and 20 assists. Jake Guentzel added a goal and an assist. Therefore, he now has 11 goals and 13 assists. Anthony Cirelli also had a good game against San Jose, netting a goal on three shots. He has 11 goals and 13 assists.
Andrei Vasilevskiy likely gets the start and comes in with a record of 11-8-1 with a 2.42 goals-against average and a save percentage of .909. He will play behind a defense that is eighth in goals against. Yet, they have struggled to kill penalties, ranking 22nd on the penalty kill.
The Lightning will cover the spread if they can jump on the Canucks and score early. Then, they need to avoid taking penalties to prevent giving the Canucks too many chances.
Why the Canucks Could Cover the Spread/Win
The greatest news for Vancouver came on Friday when it was revealed that Thatcher Demko would return to the lineup. While he did not start on Friday, he may get the start on Sunday.
The Canucks are 12th in goals and 11th in assists. Furthermore, they are fifth in shooting percentage. Their ability to execute extra-man attacks has been stellar, as they rank 10th in the powerplay.
Defenseman Quinn Hughes leads the Canucks with six goals and 25 assists. Meanwhile, Elias Pettersson has seven goals and 17 assists. Conor Garland has added eight goals and 15 assists. Likewise, Jake Debrusk has tallied 12 goals and nine assists. J.T. Miller has been out with an injury. Because of this, it has forced the Canucks to shuffle their lines and put Pius Suter in his place. Suter has responded with 11 goals and five assists after netting two in the win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. Meanwhile, Brock Boeser continues to play consistent hockey with seven goals and nine assists.
The biggest story of this game is Demko's likely return. How will he do after so much time off? Time will tell as the elite goalie attempts to start his season against one of the more formidable challenges in the NHL. Demko leads a defense that is 14th in goals against. They are also solid at killing penalties, ranking eighth on the penalty kill.
The Canucks will cover the spread if their offense can spring to life and give Demko some early goal support. Then, they need the defense to clean pucks up in front of him.
Final Lightning-Canucks Prediction & Pick
The Lightning are 10-14 against the spread, while the Canucks are 12-13 against the odds. Moreover, the Bolts are 4-7 against the spread on the road, while the Canucks are 5-7 against the odds at home. The Lightning are 12-10-2 against the over/under, while the Canucks are 14-10-1. While I would love to see Demko make his triumphant debut, this will be a tall task. I don't think the Canucks will lose. However, I do believe the Bolts will keep it close.
Final Lightning-Canucks Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning: +1.5 (-250)
