Canucks vs Bruins Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

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08 February 2024

Canucks vs Bruins Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

The Canucks took down the Hurricanes on Tuesday and get rewarded with a trip to Boston where they'll take on the Bruins in a battle of the league's best. Find out where the betting value lies in our NHL picks below.

The two best teams in hockey will meet at TD Garden tonight as the slightly favored Boston Bruins will meet the league-leading Vancouver Canucks who sit just two points ahead of the home side heading into tonight’s battle of the best.

With a big last-change advantage, paying great plus money for a helper, and centering David Pastrnak at 5-on-5 and on PP1, Pavel Zacha is in great position to find the scoresheet and is worth a bet in a tough matchup.

I break down the NHL odds and offer my free NHL picks for Canucks vs. Bruins for Thursday, February 8.

Canucks vs Bruins odds

Canucks vs Bruins predictions

There's an argument for both teams on the moneyline tonight and the odds are indicating a possible -110/-110 line if this game were played in a neutral location.

The Boston Bruins do have the edge with the last change — which is priced in — but that slight advantage is enough for me to back a player who's centering David Pastrnak and on the first power-play unit.

Pavel Zacha has 31 points over his 46 games this year and is priced at -130 to record a point. He’s pointed in three straight games and a lot of that has to do with his new role as the drawman for Pasta at 5-on-5 in addition to centering Boston’s Top-10 power play.

It’s a tough matchup vs. Thatcher Demko and the Vancouver Canucks, but Zacha is not the shooter on his line and he has seven assists in 12 games over the last 30 days which has me reaching for his Over 0.5 assists at +160.

In a tough matchup, I prefer taking the plus-money play and after Boston’s lackluster defeat to Calgary on Tuesday, look for Pastrnak to lead the charge offensively with those passes coming from his centerman.

Another advantage Boston has is on the power play. Vancouver is great at a lot of things, but its middle-of-the-pack penalty kill has allowed a power-play goal in three straight games.

Zacha doesn’t get a lot of touches with his role on PP1, but he takes faceoffs and has elite finishers to feed.

It’s a tough task for Vancouver to knock off Carolina and then Boston on the road in back-to-back games, which has me feeling Boston should flirt with 3-4 goals tonight. This is a team that has lost back-to-back home games just once over the last 2+ seasons.

Zacha has an elite opportunity to point and giving the puck to Pastrnak to score is his best skillset tonight in a massive game.

My best bet: Pavel Zacha Over 0.5 assists (+160 at SIA)

Canucks vs Bruins same-game parlay

Bruins moneyline

David Pastrnak anytime goalscorer

Nothing wild here, just assuming Pastrnak scores his ninth goal in nine games and the Bruins don't lose two home games in a row for the second time in two seasons.

Pasta will be the leader in a massive game and getting the last change will give him some great on-ice matchups.

Vancouver already opened its five-game road trip on a high note and taking two of a possible four points vs. Carolina and Boston is still a good outcome.

He's shorter than even money for a goal tonight and if Boston wins, he's going to be the catalyst.

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Canucks vs Bruins moneyline and Over/Under analysis

Tonight’s matchup will pit the two best teams in hockey in points, point percentage, and goal differential against one another. Boston opened as short as -140 and has moved to -130, indicating some love for the Canucks who have been an absolute wagon for much of the season.

The Canucks followed the break with a 3-2 win as a +130 underdog vs. a tough Carolina team. They haven’t lost in regulation in 12 straight games with a 10-2 SU mark. Both of those losses came in extra time.

They featured their new addition of Elias Lindholm on the top line and the power play and was rewarded with a pair of goals from the former Flame. There's a lot of excitement in Vancouver, which is on the second game of a five-game road trip.

It’s tough not to mention the play of Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, who has also won nine straight starts and is 15-1-1 over his last 17 games.

There are a lot of nice things to say about Boston but not shocking to see Vancouver taking money here. Boston is coming off a bad 4-1 loss off the break and has lost back-to-back home games just once over the last 2+ seasons.

They sit two points behind the Canucks in the standings but in a game that's projected to be tight with both clubs rested out of the break, I’d prefer the plus-money side if I were to take a team tonight. However, betting on Boston to lose back-to-back games has not been a profitable endeavor.

The total opened at 6 and has hit 6.5 in a lot of places. It’s a higher total for a pair of teams that have elite goaltending. To Vancouver's credit, it's been crushing the Over this year at 29-18-3 O/U but Boston has closed with a total of 6 or less in seven of its last 10 games.

My favorite plays, in order: Zacha assist at +160, Lindholm for a point at -125 or better, and Under 6.5 at -102 or better.

Canucks vs Bruins betting trend to know

The Bruins have cashed the first-period moneyline in 54 of their last 88 games (+20.10 units / 13% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Canucks vs. Bruins.

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