A wild night of hockey is in store as the Florida Panthers hit the road to take on the Vancouver Canucks for an epic showdown. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Panthers-Canucks prediction and pick will be made.
As it stands, the Panthers head into this contest coming off a let down of a loss at the hands of the San Jose Sharks which resulted in getting shutout 4-0. However, consider it just a minor blimp on the season as Florida is still a solid 17-9-2 on the year thus far.
On the other side of things, the Canucks are an absolute force on the ice when getting to play in front of their home fans. Not only does Vancouver boast the second-best record out west, but they also have the most home wins in all of hockey up to this point. Most recently, the Canucks have found themselves in the midst of a three-game winning streak and are clearly proving to be a contender in the early goings of the regular season.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Panthers-Canucks Odds
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+188)
Vancouver Canucks: +1.5 (-230)
Over: 6.5 (+102)
Under: 6.5 (-124)
How to Watch Panthers vs. Canucks
Time: 10:10 ET/7:10 PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Panthers Will Cover The Spread/Win
In order to cover the spread and get back on the winning track in a big way, there is no question that this usually high-powering offense will need to bounce back. In head-scratching fashion, it ended up being Florida that had no answers in finding the back of the net versus San Jose. Not to mention, but this was an offense that pumped out 13 goals during the course of their three-game winning streak, so it was truly shocking to see the Panthers struggle to light up the scoreboard against one of the worst teams in the league.
Nonetheless, this is a team that excels while out on the road as no other squad in hockey has tallied more wins as visitors than the Panthers through the first couple months of the regular season. Without a doubt, playing in Vancouver remains one of the toughest places to play and an increased amount of focus will be needed to come out on top in this one.
If all else fails, don't be surprised if Florida makes it an effort to give goalie Sergei Bobrovsky some much-needed goal support in the form of a hectic and dynamic power-play attack. In the loss to the Sharks, the Panthers went a resounding 0-3 with their extra-man advantage and must be able to improve in this category if they want any chance to shock the Canucks on the road. Alas, playing aggressively and forcing Vancouver to make untimely mistakes which result in penalties will go a long way in helping Florida cover the spread.
Why The Canucks Will Cover The Spread/Win
Meanwhile, one of the most surprising teams in all of hockey has hands down been this Vancouver Canucks squad, and for good reason.
At the moment, the Canucks' balanced play has paid off in a big way. Offensively, Vancouver knows how to spread the puck around and keep defenses on their heels. On paper, the Canucks average a whopping 3.83 goals per game and are extremely lethal when J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes are out on the ice. At first glance, Miller is second in all of the NHL with his team-leading 42 points while it's been the superb play of Hughes that has given him the league lead with 30 assists. Simply put, this is quite the one-two punch for any team to handle, and if the Canucks are planning to take advantage of the Panthers, then their two biggest stars on the ice will need to show up in a big way.
Of course, very few goalies have been as electrifying in between the pipes than Vancouver's own Thatcher Demko. Not only does Demko have the best record as a starting netminder with his 14-7 record, but he also owns a dazzling .918 save percentage and already has a pair of shutouts next to his name on the season. With his counterpart in Bobrovsky also as good as it gets, it may be up to Demko to stand on his head and single handily carry the Canucks to victory thanks to his stupendous play.
Final Panthers-Canucks Prediction & Pick
In this wild contest that includes a pair of teams who are top-five in the league in wins, anything goes! However, after a devastating loss on the road, it appears unlikely for the Panthers to march into the extremely hostile environment of Rogers Arena and come out triumphant. Take the underdog Canucks in this epic battle!
Final Panthers-Canucks Prediction & Pick: Canucks +1.5 (-230)
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