The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers open their seasons with a Wednesday tilt at Rogers Place. The opening faceoff is slated for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Canucks vs. Oilers, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Vancouver went 40-30-12 a year ago, posting 92 points in the Pacific Division standings. That placed the Canucks 5th in the division and short of the playoffs.
The Oilers went 49-27-6 last season, logging 104 points and placing 2nd in the Pacific. Edmonton went to the Western Conference Final where they bowed out to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in 4 games.
Canucks at Oilers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub Lines last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Canucks +160 (bet $100 to win $160) | Oilers -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Puck line/Against the spread (ATS): Canucks +1.5 (-165) | Oilers -1.5 (+130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
Canucks at Oilers projected goalies
Thatcher Demko (33-22-7, 2.72 GAA, .915 SV% in 2021-22) vs Jack Campbell (31-9-6, 2.64 GAA, .914 SV% in 2021-22 w/Toronto)
Demko appeared to tire a bit at the end of last season, his busiest as an NHL netminder. He logged a .905 SV% over his last 14 games. Demko has been much tougher in home starts the last 2 seasons: he notched a .907 SV% on the road last season (.922 at home).
Campbell draws the start in his 1st game with Edmonton; he spent the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The American netminder recorded an .897 SV% as he struggled in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Canucks at Oilers picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 4, Canucks 3
Moneyline
Last season was the 1st time since 2018-19 that Campbell had played more than 31 games. He not only struggled in the postseason: Campbell logged a 3.28 GAA and .894 SV% after the all-star break and was undone mostly in even-strength situations.
His presence creates enough doubt in the big-favorite status here. However, the payoff for the underdog Canucks doesn’t cut it PASS.
Puck line/Against the spread
Edmonton has won 4 in a row against Vancouver, all by a 1-goal cushion and 3 in overtime/shootout mode.
Keep an eye on any line drift, and take the Canucks +1.5 if the price reaches -155 or better, until then PASS.
Over/Under
Vancouver figures to have a decent power play this season. It also has a couple of injuries to its blueliners, there are some questions in the other net, and Cs Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are on the ice.
There is enough here to trigger a partial-unit play on the OVER 6.5 (-107) and a tag of -103 or better would be good for full-unit action.
Want action on this game or any other NHL contests? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!