The Vancouver Canucks play their last road game of the 2012 Regular Season on Thursday night when they travel to take the down and out Calgary Flames.
Despite the absence of Daniel Sedin, all the talk of a Vancouver late-season slump has all but been erased by seven straight wins and a legitimate shot at the President’s trophy for the second year in a row.
Vancouver Canucks (50-21-9) at Calgary Flames (35-29-16)
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 5, 2012
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Broadcast: SNET-Pacific
Canucks vs. Flames Betting Lines from Bodog
Spread: Canucks -1 ½ (+200)
Moneyline: Canucks -146: Flames +133
Over/Under: 5 goals
*NHL ATS Matchup Report*
The Vancouver Canucks started their current seven game win streak by winning ugly – not much was going right a couple of weeks ago but the Canucks were still winning. While the defense has gotten a little lax over the past couple of games it is the offense that has been bailing the Canucks out.
If the Canucks could get the offense and defense in sync, they would be plain scary.
The Canucks have fallen to a season low ranking of sixth in goals for but their play lately has them looking like the team that was top 3 in that department for the bulk of the season. Maxim Lapierre has caught fire on the top line in place of the injured Daniel Sedin and has three goals and two assists in his last three games.
Unsung hero Chris Higgins keeps getting it done and has five goals in his last six games, Alex Burrows scored twice Tuesday night and Henrik Sedin has definitely returned to form posting seven assists in his last three games. The offense is back folks and all four lines are very dangerous.
Hey David Booth – zero points in nine games is about enough!
Cory Schneider will start in goal – No, not because of the horrific outing Roberto Luongo had on Tuesday (4 goals allowed on 15 shots) but because it was a scheduled start for the Canucks backup netminder.
Schneider is 3-0-0 with a miniscule 0.76 goals against average in his last three starts. He is 1-1-0 in his career versus the Flames with a 2.45 goals against average.
The Calgary Flames are in a freefall! After officially being eliminated from playoff contention last Saturday by the Canucks the Flames have looked well… extinguished.
They are 1-4-4 in their last eight games and have been outscored 26-14 in those games.
Why did Calgary miss the playoffs? Look no further than their 27th ranked offense!
The team simply hasn’t scored goals this season as per usual. Jarome Iginla has one goal and three assists in the last nine games, Matt Stajan is pointless in six games and Alex Tanguay hasn’t hit the score sheet in three.
The offense is bad and now they look like they don’t really care!
The Calgary defense and goaltending has been their saving grace this season – the Flames are a respectable 15th in goals against. But even that has gone south toward the end of the year. Mikka Kiprusoff is 1-3-0 with a 3.05 goals against average in his last four starts and when Kipper is off the Flames are a good bet to lose!
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames Betting Lines & Handicapping
Kiprusoff is 2-7-0 in his last 10 appearances against Vancouver with an ugly 4.47 goals against average.
Dave’s wont cost you anything Ducks vs. Canucks betting predictionCalgary is 1-8 in their last 9 overall. The Canucks are 10-3 in the last 13 meetings.
The Vancouver Canucks still have a ton to play for – first place in the Western Conference is still very much up for grabs and the President’s trophy is there for the taking.
Don’t expect the Canucks to take the foot off the gas – Tuesday’s game against Anaheim was a good reminder that any lack of focus could result in some unwanted insecurity!
Vancouver continues the domination and keeps the dream of a second straight President’s trophy alive.
Pick: Vancouver Canucks -146
Here are some interesting Player Props for Thursday’s game:
Jarome Iginla Points
line = 0.5 Over (1.45) | Under (1.80)
Dan Hamhuis Points
line = 0.5 Over (1.80) | Under (1.45)
Henrik Sedin Shots on Goal
line = 1.5 Over (1.50) | Under (1.75)
Ryan Kesler Shots on Goal
line = 3.5 Over (1.70) | Under (1.55)
Alex Burrows Goals
line = 0.5 Over (2.00) | Under (1.35)
Alexander Edler Shots on Goal
line = 3.5 Over (1.75) | Under (1.50)
Vancouver Power Play Goals
line = 0.5 Over (1.45) | Under (1.80)
Calgary Shots on Goal
line = 31.5 Over (1.60) | Under (1.60)
Calgary Power Play Goals
line = 0.5 Over (1.75) | Under (1.50)
Jannik Hansen Points
line = 0.5 Over (1.75) | Under (1.50)
- Game 81 Canucks vs. Flames: Just get the two points - Vancouver Canucks Insider Josh Hall is basically writing this game off as a a victory since the Calgary Flames have sputtered to irrelevance at the end of this regular season. Can Jarome Iginla catch the Canucks off guard in hat may be his final game against Vancouver as a Flame? If the New York Rangers lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins, can the Canucks capitalize?
- Managing Editor “Q’s” Gameday Notes + Preview
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