The top-seeded Vancouver Canucks will try to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals tonight, Wednesday May 18th, when they host the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 at Rogers Arena. NHL oddsmakers have the Canucks as -155 moneyline home favourites over the Sharks (+135) with the over/under set at 5.5 goals. Be sure to check the Sharks vs Canucks NHL Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
San Jose (8-6, 4-3 V) got goals from Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as goalie Antti Niemi turned aside 35-of-38 shots in defeat. The Sharks will play a much more physical game tonight after getting beat around by the Canucks in Game 1. "You have to put yourself in a position to be successful, then when you're there, you got to get the job done physically," McLellan said. "It starts in the circle, ends up in the corners, net front. Even skating to open ice to me is a physical battle because you have to win that race, you have to get there before the other team does." That's going to be the key for the Sharks in Game 2 — their bodies have to set the tone so their skill can take over. That means they have to win the battles on the wall and in the corners for the pucks and do their best to punish the Canucks' defensemen, three things they did not do effectively in Game 1. The Sharks have never made the Stanley Cup Finals and own a dismal 2-9 record in 11 all-time conference finals games. The Sharks lost in six games to Calgary in the 2004 West finals and were swept last year by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. Sharks defenseman Jason Demers is questionable after sitting out Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. Veteran blueliner Kent Huskins took Demers' place in the opener, marking his first playoff appearance this season.
Vancouver (9-5, 5-3 H) won a close battle in the series opener on Sunday, beating the visiting Sharks by a 3-2 score. It marked the seventh straight Game 1 victory for Vancouver. The Canucks got goals from Maxim Lapierre, Kevin Bieksa and Henrik Sedin, while goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 27 shots. Sedin also had an assist for the Canucks, giving him 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) in this year's playoffs. Henrik's twin brother and linemate Daniel has six goals and four assists in the postseason, but was pointless in Game 1. "We're here to score goals and produce. That's tough do in the playoffs," Henrik Sedin said. "I think a lot of games we played well and had our chances but pucks haven't gone our way. Tonight we started out being minus-1 after the first two. That's a tough start but we battled back." Canucks forward Mikael Samuelsson, who has one goal and two assists this postseason, missed Game 1 with a lower-body injury. The veteran Swede has sat out Vancouver's last two games and Samuelsson hasn't skated since suffering the injury in Game 5 against Nashville. He is doubtful for tonight's tilt.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Favorite is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings.
Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Sharks are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
Canucks are 6-1 in their last 7 games as a home favorite of -151 to -200.
Canucks are 6-1 in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite of -151 to -200.
Canucks are 14-3 in their last 17 vs. Pacific.
Sharks are 7-1 in their last 8 games playing on 2 days rest.
Sharks are 0-7 in their last 7 Conference Finals games.
Sharks vs Canucks
When: Wednesday, May-18, 9:00 PM ET
Pick: Canucks -155
Point-Spreads.com recommends you check out NHL Point Spreads before Sharks vs Canucks game.
The Bottom Line: It will be a low scoring game, maybe even overtime, but the Canucks will come out with a win. Be sure to check Sharks vs Canucks Hockey Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
