The Vancouver Canucks will host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night in a late-season Western Conference matchup with playoff implications.
The Blues and Cancucks meet in the second game of a home-and-home between the two teams; the Blues came away with a 4-1 win on Monday.
St. Louis currently holds the top wildcard spot in the conference, while the Canucks are still in the playoff hunt with just a few weeks to go.
The Blues have a record of 36-20-9 and, with 81 points, can still improve upon their playoff position. In the Central Division, St. Louis remains within striking distance of the Nashville Predators (39-24-4, 82 points) and the Minnesota Wild (41-20-4, 86 points). Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalance (46-14-6, 98 points) has a stranglehold not only on the top spot in the Central but the conference as well.
Meanwhile, the Canucks (32-27-9, 73 points) hold on to slim playoff hopes. While they remain three points out of a wildcard spot, they have several teams to leapfrog, including the Winnipeg Jets (32-25-10, 74 points), Dallas Stars (36-25-3, 75 points), and the Vegas Golden Knights (36-28-4, 76 points).
The Vancouver Canucks are favorites at -115.
Blues Hope to Turnaround Recent Skid
While St. Louis was able to snap a two-game losing streak earlier this week, they haven’t played their best hockey recently.
The Blues have won just four of the last 13 games and won only twice over their previous seven contests.
St. Louis has one of the highest-powered offenses in the league, averaging 3.52 GF/G, sixth in the NHL. They also own the highest shooting percentage in the NHL (11.5%).
Veterans Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron share the lead in goals for the Blues, with 23 apiece; Jordan Kyrou (22 goals) and Pavel Buchnevich (21 goals, follow close behind.
Along with four players with 20 or more goals, the Blues boast five more players with double-figure goals; Ivan Barbashev (19), Brandon Saad (19), Brayden Schenn (18), Ryan O’Reilly (14), and Robert Thomas (12).
On Monday, Ville Husso made the start between the pipes in the Blues’ 4-1 win over the Canucks. Jordan Binnington may likely get the start Wednesday night.
In 30 starts, Binnington is 13-13-4 with a .901 SV% and a 3.14 GAA.
Binnington’s counterpart, Husso, has been far better in his opportunities this season.
The 26-year-old Husso is 17-6-4 with a .924 SV% and a 2.38 GAA.
Canucks Hope to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
After a hot start to the month, the Canucks cooled down over the last few weeks.
Their most recent contest, a 4-1 loss to the Blues, was their seventh loss over their last ten games. Vancouver opened the month of March, winning six of eight games, but now find themselves needing to turn things around and in a hurry.
With only 14 games remaining, the Canucks have little room for error, especially with three more games against the Golden Knights on their schedule, who occupy the final conference wildcard spot.
J.T. Miller has been far and away Vancouver’s best player, with team-highs in both goals (28) and assists (52) for 80 total points.
Bo Horvat (26) and Elias Pettersson (20) have also surpassed 20 goals, while Brock Boeser (19), Conor Garland (14), Tanner Pearson (13), Nils Hoglander (10) and Vasily Podkolzin (10) all have double-digit goals this season.
Quinn Hughes has led the way for Vancouver’s defense, scoring five goals and adding 48 assists for 53 points, second on the team.
Jaroslav Halak started Monday in Vancouver’s 4-1 loss to the Blues, making 25 saves on 28 shots.
Thatcher Demko should get the start Wednesday for the Canucks. This season, Demko has started 52 of 68 games, compiling a 28-19-5 record with a .917 SV% and a 2.66 GAA.
Betting Prediction
While neither team has played exceptionally well as of late, it’s hard to beat a team two times in a row. It’s even harder to beat a team three times in a season, something St. Louis will attempt after winning the previous two matchups with the Canucks.
There is plenty on the line for the Blues; nothing is assured. However, with 17 games left to play, three more than Vancouver, St. Louis will have more opportunities to improve their position within the playoff race.
On the other hand, Vancouver has to play with more urgency, which they’ve already shown to be capable of this season.
It’s unclear whether Husso or Binnington will start in the net for St. Louis, but Demko starting gives Vancouver a considerable boost.
After dropping their most recent game against the same Blues team, expect the Canucks to make a much better effort Wednesday night.
It may be tight, but the Canucks at -115 are the better play in this one.
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