Can Predators Rebound Against Canucks After Game 4 Collapse?

The Nashville Predators are on the brink of elimination after collapsing late in Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks. Leading 3-1, the Canucks can finish off the best-of-seven first-round series on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET) at home.

Vancouver is a -1.5 (+210) favorite on the puck line and -118 on the moneyline for Game 5, while Nashville is +1.5 (-258) and -102 to win outright.

The projected total is 5.5, with a slight edge to the Over at -115. The Canucks are also now -900 favorites to win the series, compared to +600 for the Predators.

What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both teams and assess the Predators vs Canucks betting odds in our NHL playoff preview.

Western Conference First Round

Game 5

Predators vs Canucks Betting Trends

The Nashville Predators are 44-42 against the puck line and 40-42-4 against the Over/Under. The Vancouver Canucks are also 44-42 ATS but have fared slightly better against the Over/Under, going 44-39-3.

Be sure to remember these Predators vs Canucks betting trends when assessing the odds.

Musical Chairs in Net Continues

The Canucks made a surprising change in Game 4, calling upon Arturs Silovs to make his NHL playoff debut in net. The 23-year-old Silovs, who was 3-0-1 with a 2.47 goals-against average during the NHL regular season, finished with 27 saves in the overtime victory.

The sixth-round pick in 2019 replaced Casey DeSmith, who earned his first postseason win in Game 2. DeSmith took over for Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko, who is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Presumably, the Canucks will go back to Silovs in Game 5. Silovs was sharp down the stretch and in overtime, keeping the Predators off the board for the final 20:50. But this continues to be a highly unpredictable situation that could change at any moment.

Regardless, the Canucks find themselves on the brink of moving on for the first time during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As such, they have climbed to +700 to win the Western Conference. Their Stanley Cup odds are also rising, now sitting at +1700.

The 1972 Blackhawks are the only hockey team to win using three different goalies in a series. Recent history be damned, the Canucks continue to take an unconventional path.

Brock Boeser scored three times, including the game-tying goal with eight seconds remaining in regulation, as the Canucks improved to 44-42 ATS. They now head back to Rogers Arena, where they went 27-9-5 OU during the regular season. Keep that in mind when analyzing the Predators vs Canucks betting odds.

Predators Staring at Elimination

The Predators now find themselves on the brink of elimination after blowing a 3-1 lead in the final 2:49 of Game 4.

Most troubling are the continued struggles of Juuse Saros in goal. Saros allowed four goals on 21 shots, dropping his save percentage to an underwhelming .857 for the series. That’s well below his season rate of .906.

The Predators won’t go anywhere without a strong performance from their No. 1 netminder, as is the case for most teams in the NHL. But the Predators are especially reliant on Saros given their inability to produce consistent scoring.

As such, Nashville’s odds of winning the West have plummeted to +6000. The Predators are also +15000 to win the Stanley Cup, matching Los Angeles for the second-longest NHL odds on the board ahead of the Islanders (+40000).

Game 4 marked the first time in franchise history that Nashville lost a playoff game when leading by at least two goals in the third. The Predators led 3-1 after Filip Forsberg scored just 12 seconds into the final period.

Nashville went 0 for 2 on the power play and is now just 1 for 16 this series. The Predators were middle-of-the-pack on the power play during the regular season, ranking 16th at 21.6%.

Handicapping the Game

The Canucks have won five of their six meetings with Nashville this season. More importantly, they are now riding a wave of momentum after stunning the Predators late in Game 4.

Nashville has a lot to overcome, needing to beat Vancouver twice more on the road to advance. It escaped Rogers Arena with a win in Game 2, but that was with DeSmith in net. Now the Canucks will likely turn back to Silovs.

Without Demko, Vancouver’s goaltending situation remains a bit volatile. Nevertheless, the Canucks are in the driver’s seat this series as Nashville’s NHL playoff odds continue to sink.

At this point, it’s hard to trust anyone but Vancouver.

For NHL predictions, betting analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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