Vancouver Canucks vs Boston Bruins

XThatcher Demko rolls into Boston on a three-game win streak with just two goals allowed over that span, while the Bruins have gone 3-2 in their last five and just dropped one at home to Edmonton, setting up a classic “hot goalie vs. strong home side” moneyline spot. With Elias Pettersson, Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil all out, Vancouver is badly thinned down the middle, whereas Boston’s injury list is shorter and more on the fringes, leaving their core of David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman and a deep blue line intact. Historically, the Bruins have dominated this matchup and are still a tough out at TD Garden, and even though Vancouver’s new-look group leans on Evander Kane’s and Brock Boeser’s strong career numbers against Boston plus Demko’s current form, the underlying team stats still favor the home side with a better goals-for rate and a much more dangerous power play against a leaky Canucks penalty kill. With Boston 12-6-0 at home and Vancouver 10-7-2 on the road, I like the Bruins to grind out a win more often than the price implies, but Demko’s heater and Vancouver’s recent surge make this closer to a solid but not elite edge. Moneyline Pick: Boston Bruins -160, Grade: B. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/12/2025 09:35X

XVancouver’s three straight wins have come on the back of smothering team defense and Demko’s 150-plus minutes of shutout hockey, with game totals of 5, 3 and 3, while Boston’s last five have been more volatile, swinging between low-event nights and big offensive outbursts, so this total really comes down to which pace wins out. The Canucks’ offense still sits in the bottom third of the league in goals per game and is missing its top pivot in Pettersson along with two other centers, which should cap their scoring ceiling even against a Bruins defense that has been merely average by goals against but still drives play well at home. Boston’s power play is elite, but Vancouver’s penalty kill is poor, so special teams are a real threat to any Under, yet the combination of Demko’s current form, Vancouver’s recent commitment to tighter road hockey, and the Canucks’ tendency to lean on their goaltending suggests a path to a 3-2 or 3-1 type result more often than not. With the market shading the Over at 5.5 and plus money on the Under, I’ll side with the Under 5.5 at +100 as a modest value play, recognizing that one Bruins surge or a leaky Vancouver penalty kill can blow this up. Over/Under Pick: Under 5.5 (+100), Grade: B-. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/12/2025 09:35X

XThe Canucks arrive in Boston on a three-game winning streak and have quietly put together a strong 10-7-2 road record, while the Bruins, though 12-6-0 at TD Garden, have mixed in some multi-goal wins with a fair number of one-goal decisions, especially when they run into a locked-in goaltender. Vancouver’s center injuries (Pettersson, Blueger, Chytil) and the recent departure of Quinn Hughes mean they’re leaning heavily on Demko, Filip Hronek and a physical group of forwards like Kane and DeBrusk, but that style tends to produce closer, grindier games rather than blowouts, and several of those skaters have historically produced well against Boston. On the other side, Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie headline a Bruins attack that can absolutely run away with a game on home ice, and Boston’s potent power play versus Vancouver’s weak penalty kill is the main reason to be wary of taking the puckline dog, yet Demko’s current level and the Canucks’ recent defensive structure tilt the probability toward this staying within a goal more often than the big price implies. Because -195 is expensive and offers limited monetary upside despite a relatively high chance of cashing, I’ll take Vancouver +1.5 on the puckline but only with a modest confidence grade. Puckline Pick: Vancouver Canucks +1.5 (-195), Grade: C+. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/12/2025 09:35X