Morning Coffee: Canucks face long odds to keep pace with Blues, Flames in Wild Card race

The Vancouver Canucks didn’t play last night.

Their odds to make the playoffs took a significant hit.

The New York Islanders didn’t play last night.

Their odds to make the playoffs got significantly better.

As the Canucks get set to play the Islanders tonight, the team and its fans had to be disappointed with the way last night’s NHL action played out.

The St. Louis Blues helped the Isles and hurt the Canucks with a dominant 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Elsewhere, the Calgary Flames extended their win streak to four in a row with a 3-2 overtime win against the visiting Seattle Kraken.

Rick Tocchet’s team had the night off, but Vancouver’s odds to make the playoffs jumped from +290 to +420 at FanDuel last night, before settling at +400 this morning.

Meanwhile, the Islanders playoff chances moved in the opposite direction when they were cut from +400 to +230 after the Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings all lost in regulation last night.

As the NHL Wild Card races heat up in both conferences, every point will matter in the standings over the final few weeks of the regular season.

The Islanders caught a break last night.

The Canucks didn’t.

Tonight, they’ll both get an equal opportunity to gain important ground in the NHL standings when they meet at UBS Arena.

Considering how red-hot the Blues and Flames have been of late, Vancouver certainly can’t afford to concede any more ground in the standings as their east coast trip continues in New York.

This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday March 26th, 2025.

Canucks Face Long Odds To Keep Pace With Blues, Flames In Wild Card Race

The Canucks and Blues were tied for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference as recently as last Thursday.

Vancouver held the tiebreaker based on games played.

Fast-forward six days later, the Canucks still have two games in hand on St. Louis, but they’re now five points back in the standings.

The Blues gained an important point on Vancouver with a 4-3 overtime win on March 20th.

The Canucks went 1-0-2 against St. Louis in their regular season series.

Considering how hot the Blues and Flames have been of late, it certainly seems as though Vancouver will need a must-win approach for every game the rest of the way.

FanDuel’s updated odds to make the playoffs reflect that sentiment.

The Canucks are +400 to make the playoffs at FanDuel.

That number carries a 20 per cent implied probability.

The Blues have won seven in a row and are an NHL-best 13-2-2 since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

St. Louis is -130 to make the playoffs – a 56.5 per cent implied probability.

The Flames have won four in a row to improve to 6-2-2 in their previous 10 games.

Calgary is +180 to make the playoffs – a 35.7 per cent implied probability.

Vancouver won’t play either of those teams again this season, eliminating the potential to gain ground in a head-to-head match-up.

However, the Canucks will play the seventh-toughest remaining strength of schedule.

Vancouver still must play the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, as well as a pair of games against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The date with Winnipeg on March 30th concludes a six-game, road trip that took them across the country to the east coast with games against a couple of desperate teams in the Islanders and Blue Jackets on deck.

The Canucks have certainly played with desperation of late.

After all, they scored a tying goal in the final minute of regulation in two of their last three games, salvaging a point in an OT loss to St. Louis and then stealing two important points in a shootout win over New Jersey.

Can Vancouver overcome a difficult schedule and find a way to keep pace with St. Louis and Calgary in the West?

With 11 games to go, the odds are certainly stacked against the Canucks making the playoffs right now.

Four FanDuel Best Bets To Consider For Wednesday Night

Thanks in part to a loaded slate, Tuesday night was my most profitable of the season betting on the NHL.

Unfortunately, a last-minute decision to go with Nick Suzuki 1+ point and Montreal +1.5 as my SGP for that game instead of Suzuki 1+ point and the alt over 4.5 total goals was the difference between going 4-0 and 3-1 with the NHL best bets in this column.

Plus, the Jimmy Butler revenge game angle turned out to be an absolute dud.

Turning the page this morning, I’ll start with a bet on Quinn Hughes to record 3+ shots on goal at -120.

Hughes had four shots on goal in the first meeting between these teams – a 5-2 loss on November 14th.

He’s averaged 2.91 shots on goal per game this season, but he’s exploded for 15 shots on goal in his last two games against the Rangers and Devils.

I’ll bet that trend continues against an opponent that has allowed an average of 8.2 shots on goal per game to opposing defencemen this season.

The Canucks are in a desperate spot and they need their best player to deliver against the Islanders tonight.

I’ll bet Quinn Hughes 3+ shots on goal at -120 odds.

Speaking of shot totals, I’ll lock in a Same Game Parlay with Timo Meier 2+ shots on goal and the New Jersey Devils to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation tonight at -113 odds.

The Devils are in a tough spot after three straight losses to the Flames, Senators, and Canucks.

It doesn’t help that Quinn’s brother Jack is done for the season.

Tonight, New Jersey has an excellent opportunity to get back in the win column as a heavy favourite in Chicago, and Meier is in a good spot to produce.

The Blackhawks have allowed an average of 12.5 shots on goal to opposing wingers this season.

Meier has averaged 2.96 shots on goal per game this season, but that number has jumped to 3.67 over the last seven days in part because Hughes is sidelined.

The Devils need this one before a three-game stretch that features a trip to face the Winnipeg Jets followed by home-and-home against the Minnesota Wild.

I’ll bank on Meier to step up in a Devils win.

Finally, I’ll lock in an SGP with Mikko Rantanen 1+ point and 2+ shots on goal at -103 odds.

Rantanen has struggled with just one point over his last four games, but he’s been consistent putting pucks on net with 2+ shots on goal in seven of his first eight games with the Dallas Stars.

It doesn’t help that he took a puck to the face the other night, but all signs point towards him playing tonight after he finished that game with an assist in a 3-0 win over the Wild.

In his Stars debut, Rantanen registered a goal and an assist with four shots on goal in what has stood as his best game with the team to this point.

I’ll roll the dice on a similar performance tonight with Rantanen 1+ point and 2+ shots on goal on a -103 SGP.

As for the NBA, I’ll lock in Tyrese Haliburton double-double at -115 odds.

Haliburton has registered a double-double in 11 straight games for the Indiana Pacers.

With Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers in town tonight, and the Pacers still playing for something, I’ll bet on Haliburton to extend that streak at home tonight.

Hopefully, we can go 4-0 with the FanDuel Best Bets.

Have a great day, everyone!