Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks clash at Rogers Arena. This Western Conference matchup will get going at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 6 and it’s being shown live on Sportsnet Pacific.
Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks Odds
Nashville (-175) is favored over Vancouver (+155), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.
Nashville is 19-9 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.4 units this season. 15 of its games have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Preds are 8-4 SU as a road team in 2018-19.
Nashville has converted on just 16.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Nashville has been penalized 4.0 times per game overall in the 2018-19 season, and 5.0 per game over its past five contests. The team has been forced to kill penalties 9.4 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Sporting a .935 save percentage and 24.9 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (13-6-1) has been the best option in goal for Nashville this season. If head coach Peter Laviolette chooses to rest him, however, the team could go with Juuse Saros (7-4 record, .891 save percentage, 3.29 goals against average).
Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Predators. Johansen (24 points) has tallied five goals and 19 assists, and has recorded two or more points eight times. Forsberg has 14 goals and eight assists to his credit (and has logged at least one point in 15 games).
Vancouver is 11-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 30 regular season contests, 15 of its games have gone over the total, while another 15 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team is 5-8 SU at home.
Vancouver has converted on 17.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver skaters have been sent to the penalty box 4.2 times per game this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five match ups. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jacob Markstrom (29.1 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the crease for Vancouver. Markstrom has eight wins, 12 losses, and three overtime losses and has registered a pedestrian 3.31 goals against average and a poor .897 save percentage this year.
The Nucks offense will be led by Bo Horvat (12 goals, 13 assists).
Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner \u2013 Canucks, O/U \u2013 Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the under has hit in three of their last five outings.
- Penalties and power plays could be critical in the outcome of this one. The Predators are 9-3 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 14-5 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Canucks are 3-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 5-11 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Vancouver is ranked 24th in the NHL with 6.6 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended down, however, as it has created 4.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 3.2 takeaways over its last five.
- Nashville skaters have created 5.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.8 takeaways per game (ranked 13th).
- Nashville could hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 7-5 in one-goal games, while Vancouver is 5-9 in such games.
