The Winnipeg Jets are traveling to the Prudential Center tonight to face the New Jersey Devils in a non-conference matchup.
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The Jets have been one of the NHL’s best teams all season long and they’re sitting atop the Central Division with a 43-16-4 record.
Meanwhile, the Devils, who are sitting at 33-24-6, are still in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race but looking for a strong finish to solidify their spot.
Surprisingly, oddsmakers have the Jets as slight road favorites at -120 on the moneyline, while the Devils are listed at even odds. We figured the odds would be a bit more lopsided than this, but we’ll dig into it and see what’s really going on.
The total for the game is set at just 5.5 goals, with the under slightly favored which means this is probably going to be a tight game.
Winnipeg has been a dominant team all year, boasting one of the most well-rounded attack units and undoubtedly elite goaltending. New Jersey, on the other hand, has shown a few flashes of brilliance but has struggled to remain consistent.
Winnipeg has been one of the league’s most efficient teams on both ends of the ice.
The Jets average a solid 3.48 GF/G while allowing just 2.32 GA/G which ranks them among the NHL’s best defensive teams. Their power play is clicking at an NHL-best 32%, and their PK is strong as well.
As for the Devils, they score 2.98 goals per game on average but allow 2.49. Those aren’t terrible numbers, but you can see it’s a far cry from the Jets. While their penalty kill sits at a solid 82% which is good for 3rd in the NHL, they will have to be disciplined against a dangerous Jets power play. However, this could make for a good game with the league's best power play unit vs one of the best penalty kill units.
The Jets are coming into this game smoking hot as they’ve won 4 of their last 5 matchups. They have beaten the Flyers, Islanders, and Senators, with their only loss coming in a shootout against the Flyers.
The Devils have also had a decent stretch that we can’t ignore as they’ve gone 3-2 in their last 5 games, picking up key wins against Vegas, Utah, and Colorado — all playoff contenders in the West.
Kyle Connor has been the offensive leader for Winnipeg with a nice 78 points on the season, including 32 goals and 46 assists. Mark Scheifele has been a force as well with his 35 goals, while Connor Hellebuyck has been a brick wall in between the pipes, posting a 36-8-3 record with a 2.01 GAA and a .926 SV%. He’s easily the best netminder in the NHL, if not the world.
The Devils will need a big night from Jack Hughes, who has 70 points this season, along with Jesper Bratt, who leads the team with 53 assists. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been fairly steady with a 21-11-5 record, but he will have his hands full against a deep Winnipeg lineup that will undoubtedly pummel him with shots.
One factor that could play into this game is the Jets' struggles on the second night of back-to-back games. Winnipeg has lost 6 straight road games in this situation, which could open the door for New Jersey to pull off the upset. They typically come onto the ice fatigued and tired which doesn’t bode well for them when they’re going up against a team like the Devils.
However, the Devils' defense has been inconsistent, and against a team as disciplined as the Jets, mistakes will be costly as they’ll unquestionably capitalize on any.
The key to this game will be Winnipeg’s ability to control the pace and limit New Jersey’s speed through the neutral zone.
The Devils thrive when they can generate rush chances, but we’re not so sure they’re going to be able to do that tonight as Winnipeg’s structured play has given them an edge against similar opponents all season.
If the Jets can dictate the tempo and take advantage of power-play opportunities, which we think they will, they should be in a strong position to win.
Despite the scheduling disadvantage, the Jets are by far the better team in nearly every category. Their goaltending is superior, their offense is more efficient, and their special teams give them an edge as well. While we have no doubt that New Jersey is capable of pulling off the upset, especially at home, it’s tough to bet against Winnipeg in this spot.
BettorsInsider Prediction: Winnipeg Jets 3, New Jersey Devils 1
Best Bet: Jets on the moneyline at -120
We think Winnipeg’s depth and defensive structure should be enough to get the job done even if they’re fatigued a bit. The under 5.5 goals are also worth taking a look at, given that both goalies have played fairly well and the Jets tend to play lower-scoring games against struggling teams.
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