This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks and Props for Red Wings 
at Canucks 
The Detroit Red Wings (27-19-6) make the second stop on a four-game Western Conference road trip against the Vancouver Canucks (36-12-6) on Thursday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.
These teams just met on Saturday in the Motor City, with the Red Wings coming away with a 4-3 victory in overtime behind goaltender Alex Lyon. He made 28 saves on 31 shots, while Jake Walman sent the home folks away happy with the OT winner on an unassisted goal just 23 seconds into the extra session.
It was a tale of three periods in that first meeting, as Lucas Raymond gave the home side a 1-0 lead just 45 seconds into the game, beating Casey DeSmith. That's how it stood into the second period, before Vancouver unleashed three unanswered goals by Nils Hoglander, former Red Wing Filip Hronek and All-Star Elias Pettersson. In the third, it was Daniel Sprong answering on the power play, and Michael Rasmussen scoring at 7:51 of the final period, leveling the game at 3-3.
For Thursday's rematch, Lyon (14-7-2, 2.76 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 SO) is projected to face the Canucks again, but it should be All-Star Thatcher Demko (29-9-1, 2.44 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO) in between the pipes for the home side.
Demko will be tasked with snapping a five-game series win streak for the Red Wings. Detroit has outscored Vancouver 19-7 during the impressive series run, with the Red Wings cashing as an underdog in four of those meetings. Detroit is 5-0 on the puck line in the span, and 7-3 on the puck line in the past 10 meetings since Nov. 6, 2017.
It's hard to go against the Canucks at Rogers Arena, as they're 18-4-2 in their home barn, but the Red Wings are a respectable 12-11-1 on the road, and Detroit has owned this series lately. Vancouver is rather expensive on the moneyline, especially since the Red Wings have been its kryptonite in recent seasons. The best idea is to back the underdog Red Wings on the puck line, and look for a tight game.
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NHL Money Line Bets for Red Wings at Canucks
- Red Wings PL (+1.5, -155 at BetMGM)
As far as the total is concerned, the Over cashed in Saturday's matchup in Detroit with seven combined goals. The Over has cashed in each of the past three meetings, with exactly seven goals on the board in each game.
The Red Wings cashed the Over in a big way on Tuesday to kick off the four-game road trip, getting doubled up by the Edmonton Oilers 8-4. The Over is 3-1 in the past four games, while going a perfect 5-0 in the past five tries against Western Conference teams.
For the Canucks, they hit the Over, barely, in a 4-2 win on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks. The total has gone high in two of the past three games, with a slight edge in four of the previous seven outings.
Based on the recent series trends, Detroit's Over results against the Western Conference lately, and the fact the Red Wings had their doors blown off in Edmonton, lean high on the total.
NHL Totals Bets for Red Wings at Canucks
- Over 6.5 (-125 at Caesars)
NHL Player Props for Red Wings at Canucks
We're going with the Over, or at least seven combined goals, so there should be ample goal scorers. As such, let's go with a couple of Anytime Goal Scorer props, and we'll toss in an extra play just for good measure.
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For the Red Wings, Joe Veleno scored in Edmonton last time out, and he has two goals and four points during his current four-game point streak. For an opportunity to multiply up by six times, Veleno is worth a roll of the dice as an anytime goal scorer.
- Joe Veleno Anytime Goal Scorer (+600 at FanDuel)
Former Detroit forward and draft pick Filip Hronek lit the lamp in the meeting at Little Caesars Arena over the weekend, and he should be motivated again versus his former team. Like Veleno, above, Hronek has rather long odds. You can multiply up by six and a half times if he gets on the board again. He has just four goals on the entire season, but he could get loose against his former organization again.
- Filip Hronek Anytime Goal Scorer (+650 at FanDuel)
If you're a little more on the conservative side, and the two plays above are just too much of a long shot for you, Elias Pettersson is plus-money as an Anytime Goal Scorer. The All-Star has 13 goals and 24 points with eight power-play points across the past 16 outings.
- Elias Pettersson Anytime Goal Scorer (+150 at FanDuel)
