New Canuck Elias Lindholm looks primed to help his new team get on the board in a tight Thursday matchup versus Boston
A marquee matchup between the league’s top two teams with the Canucks riding a 10-0-2 record in their last 12 games and the Bruins averaging the second-most goals per game since the start of the new year, averaging four a game. It will be the first time the Bruins meet this new look Canucks team that has proven they can hang with the best of the best as they have a 4-1-2 record in games against current top six teams. The Bruins will have the advantage of playing in their own building, where they have a league-best 50-9-6 record since last season.
The Canucks also haven’t won a game at the Garden since 2018 and have lost three straight matchups. Jeremy Swayman was beat up by the Flames Tuesday night so expect Linus Ullmark in this one, who’s going through a bit of a rough patch with three or more goals against in seven of his last ten starts. Thatcher Demko is expected to get the net for the Canucks, where he has made a name for himself with a tie for the league-lead in wins at 27 on the season and an average of 27.7 saves per game. He’s only played the Bruins twice in his career with 28 and 35 saves across the starts.
It should be the matchup of the week with the two best teams battling it out with both sides looking to further their grip on the division lead. If you plan to watch this one and want to get in on the action, here are our best bets for tonight’s matchup that should earn you some cash.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Pick: Elias Lindholm over 0.5 points (-130)
The new Canuck has found himself a home on the wing of rising star Elias Pettersson, where the two made magic in their first game together Tuesday night with Lindholm scoring twice thanks to point shots from captain Quinn Hughes. The two Swedes found chemistry instantly and bench boss Rick Tocchet may make some adjustments since Lindholm is very new to the team but we hope he keeps these two together.
Pettersson has been heating up with 14 goals and 22 points since the start of the new year and should benefit from playing with Lindholm, who’s 23 assists and 32 points should make him a prolific set-up man for the Canucks moving forward. He’s already has solidified himself a spot on the team’s top powerplay line on the wing of J.T. Miller and opposite Brock Boesar, where he got his second goal on Tuesday.