Face-off: 2230 ET, 18/04/2022
Arena: Rogers Arena
Vancouver are seven points behind Dallas in the race for a Western Conference wildcard spot and simply must win this crucial showdown.
The good news for the Canucks is that they have claimed convincing victories in two previous head-to-head meetings this term, including late on last month.
We reckon 1.95 for a home win on the money line is hard to resist in our Vancouver Canucks vs Dallas Stars predictions.
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Vancouver Canucks Odds
Vancouver stormed to a fifth straight success when thrashing Arizona 7-1 at Rogers Arena on Thursday, when JT Miller had a career-high five assists.
Vasily Podkolzin and Alex Chiasson both scored twice while Quinn Hughes had three assists in a totally dominant display.
Miller, who became the first Canucks player to have 60 assists in a season for a decade, commented: “It’s great but I’m not in this for the personal game.
“I really just want to play in the playoffs because when you score in the playoffs, that’s when it means a lot.”
Bo Horvat went off early due to a blow to the ankle but that looked a precautionary measure and he will hopefully be okay to return.
Vancouver could still snatch third in the Pacific Division if avoiding any slip-ups and we like 11.0 for them to prevail 3-2 here from the NHL odds.
Dallas Stars Odds
Dallas have four points to spare in the wildcard calculations after grinding out a 2-1 win over San Jose on Saturday.
It wasn’t pretty against a team which has now lost nine straight but the Stars got the job done to make it 3-0-1 from their last four matches and 7-2-2 in 11 outings.
“They’re hard to play against, the teams that are out of the playoffs,” said coach Rick Bowness.
“They have a lot of speed over there, a lot of young players, and they made it hard for us to play.
“We battled through. That’s all that matters. Find a way to win.”
One factor which the Stars will be looking to capitalise on is that Vancouver have gone three days without a game, which is far from ideal at this stage.
Dallas already had an edge in terms of early goals, leading 62-51 in the first period this season, whereas the Canucks are 50-71 down.
Let’s have a saver on the visitors to lead after 20 minutes at 2.65 while 5.25 for a 1-0 advantage at that point also appeals.
Additional stats
Last result:
VANCOUVER 7-1 Arizona
DALLAS 2-1 San Jose
Season head-to-head: Dallas 1-4 Vancouver, Vancouver 6-3 Dallas
