NHL Hockey Betting: Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have lost four straight but overall have been playing reasonably well with a 6-1-3 record in their last ten games. They’ll face a tough test on Tuesday as they host the talented but brutally erratic Nashville Predators. The Preds have won three straight and are 5-3-2 in their last ten games putting them in fourth place in the Central Division. They’re currently 3 points up on Dallas and Winnipeg who are tied for fifth and sixth and 4 points back of St. Louis. The Canucks are in sixth place in the Pacific Division but are just two back of fifth place Los Angeles and three points of fourth place Calgary. They’ve got a ways to go to run down the teams at the top of the division but its not out of the question–they’re 7 back of third place Edmonton, 8 back of second place San Jose and 11 back of division leading Anaheim.
The Predators have yet to confirm their starting goalie but they’ve got Pekka Rinne ‘penciled in’. Rinne–like the team he plays on–can be brutally erratic as well. When he’s playing well he’s among the best goaltenders in the game. When he’s not, he has a tendency to lose focus and give up too many ‘soft’ goals. He’s got a 16-11-6 record this season with a 2.40 goals against average and 0.920 save percentage with one shutout. If he doesn’t get the start Nashville’s talented backup Jusse Saros will and he’s been just as good or better than Rinne in his recent starts.
Vancouver will tentatively start Ryan Miller who has a 12-10-3 record with a 2.64 goals against average and a 0.914 save percentage. If he doesn’t go, his backup Jakob Markstrom is a very capable substitute. The Predators have had little trouble with Vancouver in recent years winning 5 of the last 7 meetings including 2 of the last 3 on the Canucks’ home ice. The Predators won 2-1 in Nashville on January 10th and took 2 of 3 meetings last year. We’ll back the Predators who are the better team–if they’ll just play like it. Good news for Nashville–defenseman P.K. Subban practiced yesterday though his status for this game is unknown.
BET NASHVILLE PREDATORS -120 OVER VANCOUVER CANUCKS
