NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Blues vs Canucks (Wednesday, January 24)
Via Elsa/Getty Images. Pictured: .T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his goal during the first period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 08, 2024 in New York City.
Blues vs. Canucks Odds
| Blues Odds | +184 |
| Canucks Odds | -225 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -104/ -118 |
The Blues are tired as they are set to play for the second straight night and third time in four days. They are also on the road, so what are the chances they can measure up against the 32-11-4 Canucks?
Let's discuss that while previewing the upcoming contest and offering a Blues vs. Canucks prediction.
St. Louis hasn't been anything special this season. The Blues entered Tuesday's action with a 22-20-2 record, the 26th-ranked offense (2.80 goals per game) and 19th-ranked defense (3.16 goals allowed per contest). Even under ideal circumstances, this would be a difficult matchup for St. Louis, but the situation isn't optimal.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington got the nod against the Flames on Tuesday, so backup Joel Hofer will likely be tasked with stopping the Canucks' mighty attack. However, that's not a job he's well suited for. Hofer has lost his last three starts while saving just 90 of 100 shots in that span.
To be fair, Hofer has had his moments, such as when he earned a 39-save 2-1 victory over Dallas on Dec. 27, which is another team boasting an elite offense. Still, betting on him to have another performance like that on Wednesday would be risky.
If Hofer fails to step up, St. Louis will be in a difficult position. The Blues offense, which as noted above isn't great to begin with, tends to falter on the second half of back-to-back games with an average of just 2.40 goals per game. This game being played on the road makes it even worse for the Blues, who had an 8-12-1 away record before Tuesday's action.
St. Louis isn't devoid of silver linings. All of the Blues' key players are healthy, and Jordan Kyrou has been hot recently, supplying three goals and six points in five games from Jan. 11-20. Brayden Schenn has also stepped up with six points (two goals, four assists) across six appearances from Jan. 9-20, so perhaps those two will buck the trend of the Blues' offense slacking when playing on no rest.
Finding positives from the Blues feels like grasping at straws compared to the Canucks, who have won eight of their last nine contests. Thatcher Demko has done his part recently by winning his last four starts while saving 119 of 124 shots (.960 save percentage). There's a chance Casey DeSmith will give Demko, who started in the past three contests, a night off, but DeSmith is a strong alternative with a 2.55 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 14 appearances.
Plus, the Canucks can win even when the goaltending flounders. Vancouver leads the league with 3.79 goals per game and is showing no signs of slowing with a pace of 3.89 over its last nine contests.
The Canucks' strength on the attack is twofold. They feature two of the league's top-10 scorers in J.T. Miller (21 goals, 42 assists) and Elias Pettersson (25 goals, 36 assists) along with Quinn Hughes, who leads all defensemen offensively with 12 goals and 57 points in 47 outings.
All three of those players rank higher than Blues' top scorer, Robert Thomas, who has 16 goals and 46 points in 44 contests. Additionally, a fourth Canucks skater, Brock Boeser, is tied with Thomas after providing 27 goals and 46 points through 47 games.
Vancouver also has depth with three scorers with 20-plus goals, eight players with at least 10 goals and 12 skaters with at least 20 points. That leaves the Canucks as a team without many weaknesses.
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Blues vs. Canucks
Betting Pick & Prediction
Unsurprisingly, oddsmakers heavily favor Vancouver. The Canucks are -192 on the moneyline, but there's a solid return for taking them on the puck line where the spread is 1.5 goals in favor of St. Louis, and that seems like the play.
On a different night, I might be more cautious, but with the game being played in Vancouver while the Blues are both tired and projected to deploy their backup goaltender, I believe the odds are sufficiently stacked in the Canucks' favor to anticipate a decisive win by at least two goals at +126.
Pick: Vancouver Canucks -1.5 +126 (FanDuel | Play to +115)
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