The Vancouver Canucks (2-1-0) take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-1) Thursday at Amalie Arena. Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Hulu). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s'lines around the Canucks vs. Lightning odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Canucks tasted defeat for the 1st time Tuesday in a 2-0 shutout by the Philadelphia Flyers. G Thatcher Demko did all he could in stopping 40 of 42 shots. Vancouver shocked bet slips with 2 victories against the Edmonton Oilers to open the season.
The Lightning are struggling. Not only are they without G Andrei Vasilevskiy for the first 2 months due to back surgery, but they’re also without C Steven Stamkos. Stammer is a key cog to their power play as he has one of the most lethal 1-timers in the game. His loss was felt in the 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday as the PP went 0-for-4, and they mustered just 23 shots on goal the whole game.
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