NHL

Canucks vs Leafs Pick: Thursday February 4th

Canucks vs Leafs Pick: Thursday, February 4th: It is clear that the Canucks are porous defensively. They are coming off more bad losses to the Canadiens, where they were clearly the 2nd best team on the ice. Vancouver lost 6-2 on Monday and 5-3 on Tuesday. The defense is weaker than first imagined. We now see why the Knights didn’t want Nate Schmidt anymore, and I rallied against the signing of Tyler Myers, and now everyone can see why.

While the defense is weak, allowing 3.94 goals per game, this Canucks offense is potent, averaging 3.69 goals per game, and will keep them in games. I will not back them all year with Braden Holtby in goal. I expect Thatcher Demko to get hot at some point to allow us to ride the Canucks.

As for Toronto, I honestly do not think the Leafs are as good as their record indicates. They played well on their recent Alberta road trip, going 3-1. Mitch Marner has been excellent with 14 points, you add Austin Mathews, John Tavares, and William Nylander, and you have a prolific offense. Their defense hasn’t been abused yet, but I still suspect it will be sooner than later. Morgan Reilly is a -4. That’s a -4 on a team that’s 7-2-1. This team will cash you Overs when they are playing like-minded teams, and the Canucks are certainly one of those.

Canucks vs Leafs Odds

NHL Odds	Opening Lines
Canucks	+165
Leafs	-175
Total	6.5
Where/When	Scotiabank Arena, 7:00 PM ET

The Canucks are 5-5 in their last ten games and are coming off back to back losses, yet they still hold a +1 goal differential in that stretch. The Canucks will have their hands full against the Leafs, especially considering they allow nearly 4 goals per game so far this season, while the Leafs are a 12th ranked offense and have put up 3.3 goals per game so far. The Leafs are 7-3 in their last ten games and have a +4 goal differential in that span.