The Vancouver Canucks head to Scotiabank Arena to begin their three-game set against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Canucks made a Cinderella run deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, but have struggled out of the game this year, and NHL betting lines have them as +160 underdogs for this contest.
We break down the NHL odds as we bring you our best free Canucks vs. Maple Leafs picks and predictions for February 4, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET.
Vancouver Canucks at Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Preview
Injuries
Canucks: Travis Hamonic D (Out), Michael Ferland LW (Out), Jayce Hawryluk RW (Out).
Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell G (Out), Joe Thornton C (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Over is 6-1 in the Canucks' last 7 games as an underdog. Find more NHL betting trends for Canucks vs. Maple Leafs.
NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonToronto opened -194 at FanDuel, peaked at -200 a couple of times but is now down to -184. Still, the Maple Leafs are taking 84 percent of moneyline bets and 86 percent of moneyline cash. The total of 6.5 has seen a couple of price adjustments, from Over -130 to Over -135, then down to Over -125, with 70 percent of bets/71 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gamePuck Line Pick
While the Canucks may have gotten closer to the Stanley Cup than any Canadian team last year, they have sputtered this season after losing No. 1 netminder Jacob Markstrom in free agency.
Vancouver is second in the North Division in point percentage, coming off back-to-back losses where they were outscored 11-5, and has allowed 3.69 goals per game.
That said, we actually think they are worth a look in this spot, albeit not necessarily to win outright.
The Maple Leafs are off to a strong start, going 7-2-1 and coming off a hard-fought overtime loss in Edmonton. However, Toronto has gotten inconsistent goaltending from Frederik Andersen, who has a 3.01 GAA with a save percentage of .892. They have also played plenty of close games this season.
Of the Maple Leafs' seven wins this season, five came by just a single goal. And in their only two wins that came by multiple goals, they scored on an open net with seconds left in the game.
Keep in mind that in NHL betting, the Maple Leafs often come with a "Yankee tax" and can be overvalued by public bettors and sportsbooks – especially if you are betting in Canada.
With Toronto at -180 for this game and rarely outscoring opponents by multiple goals, back the 'Nucks on the puck line.
PREDICTION: Vancouver +1.5 (-140)
Over/Under Pick
We mentioned Andersen's play this season, but the Buds' long-time netminder has had some spotty play in front of him with Toronto surrendering the fifth-most high danger chances per 60 minutes in the league.
That should mean lots of scoring opportunities for the Canucks' who have a fast and skilled group of skaters led by the NHL's second-leading goal scorer in Brock Boeser and its top-scoring defenseman in Quinn Hughes.
While the Maple Leafs defense isn't giving Anderson much help, their offense has, with the Buds averaging 3.3 goals per game and leading the league with a power-play percentage of 43.3.
Toronto should be able to find the back of the net against a Canucks team that has an NHL-worst expected goals against rate of 3.35 per 60 minutes.
The Canucks have gone 6-1 O/U in their last seven games as an underdog, while the Maple Leafs are 5-2-1 to the Over in Andersen's previous eight games this season. Back the Over.
PREDICTION: Over 6.5 (-120)
Canucks vs Maple Leafs Betting Card
- Vancouver +1.5 (-140)
- Over 6.5 (-120)
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