Vancouver vs Vegas Prediction
🔊 Can the "Orcas" challenge the favorite? Vancouver have lost hope of contending for the Stanley Cup this season. The home team have suffered several painful defeats in a row and have fallen too far behind the eighth spot in the West. Vegas, on the other hand, have long settled any doubts about their prospects this season and are gearing up for crucial playoff matchups. However, they're doing so in a rather unconventional way, losing to everyone in succession.
Head-to-Head
In the current regular season, the rivals have clashed twice, with the "Knights" emerging victorious on both occasions with identical 3-1 scores. The contests were fiercely competitive, and the "Whales" could have at least forced a draw in regulation time. They managed to open the scoring in both encounters. The biggest contribution to Vegas's success came from forward Brett Howden, who scored a goal and provided two assists. The Canadian forward is having the best season of his career, tallying 36 points in 73 games.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Vancouver Canucks Team Overview
Recently, head coach Rick Tocchet extended his contract with the "Orcas" and now aims to lead the team back to the top of the Pacific Division. Last year, the home side performed admirably in both the regular season and playoffs, only faltering against Edmonton in the second round (losing the series 3-4). It seemed the team was poised to take a step forward in their development, but the outcome was quite the opposite. Numerous locker room conflicts led to the downfall of the Canadian squad. They suffered five losses in their last seven games, effectively ending their chances of competing for a top-8 spot in the West. Given these results, the new agreement with the coach appears to be a questionable decision by management.
Match Results: Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights Team Overview
The Knights have once again breezed through the regular season. Bruce Cassidy's squad rarely experienced extended slumps and consistently remained in the top eight of the Western Conference. Only after reaching the pinnacle by securing first place in the Pacific Division did the club falter, suffering consecutive defeats to direct conference rivals Edmonton (2-3) and Winnipeg (0-4). However, this won't impact their standing in the tournament. The team is unlikely to relinquish their lead, so they are set to face either Minnesota or St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs.
Match Results: Vegas Golden Knights
📌 Projected Lineups
Vancouver: Demko - Myers, Hughes - Boeser, Suter, DeBrusk
Vegas: Hill - Theodore, McNabb - Stone, Eichel, Barbashev
🥅 Goalkeepers
Vancouver's goalie Thatcher Demko has been struggling towards the end of the regular season. The American has long lost his motivation to compete and has openly expressed his reluctance to continue playing in British Columbia. In three of his last four games, the netminder failed to save more than 90% of shots faced.
Vegas's goaltender Adin Hill doesn't seem ready for playoff action. The Canadian has suffered two consecutive losses and hasn't managed to stop even 86% of shots in this stretch. The last line of defense remains the weakest link for the "Knights".
Editor's Prediction
The "Orcas" seem to have lost their motivation, as evidenced by their crushing defeat against Seattle. The team appears unprepared to continue the fight. In these circumstances, the "Knights" must end their streak of bad luck. Moreover, Rick Tocchet's squad has failed to beat this opponent on home ice in regulation time in 12 of their last 14 encounters. We are confident this trend will persist and recommend the bet - Vegas will not lose.
Betting Tips: Vancouver Canucks - Vegas Golden Knights
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