Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets Prediction, NHL Odds
Winnipeg is looking to bounce back after losing a tough 5-2 loss against Washington on Sunday, snapping their four-game win streak. The banged-up Golden Knights begin a two-game trip looking to kickstart their offence, after being held to two goals or less in their past three games.
The Jets are the -133 favourites to win on the NHL odds with the total set at 6.
Golden Knights vs. Jets NHL Betting Odds
Winnipeg is looking to avoid a series sweep after dropping their first two meetings with the Golden Knights this season. Vegas rode Jack Eichel’s two-goal performance to take the first game 5-2 and Eichel scored the overtime winner in a 2-1 win in their second meeting. Both games were played back in October in Vegas and both hit the Over. The Over is 12-6 all-time in meetings between these squads and each team has nine wins in the set.
The Golden Knights are 11-16-3 overall on this season’s total, playing the Under in nine of their past 10 outings. They have an even 15-15 against the spread so far this year but have failed to cover in all of their past three games.
The Jets have played the Over in four of their past five games and seven of their past 10, bringing them to 10-15-2 against the total this season. They failed to cover the spread last time out, snapping a four-game streak, but are still 17-10 ATS on the year.
Winnipeg is giving up 2.6 goals per game and Vegas is just behind them at 2.7. They both sit in the top five in NHL defence, while also scoring more than three at the other end.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are going through the toughest stretch of their schedule, playing division leaders in back-to-back games. They lost their last game versus the Boston Bruins 3-1 despite Mark Stone opening the scoring on the powerplay early in the first period. Logan Thompson made 24 saves, losing his second straight game dropping his record to 13-7.
The injury bug has hit Vegas really hard over the past week, losing their leading scorer Jack Eichel, who hit the IR with a lower-body injury. He joined defenceman Zach Whitecloud who was placed on the LTIR before Sunday’s game in Boston. The team’s two top defencemen Alex Pietrangelo (Personal since Nov. 26) and Shea Theodore (lower-body out since Dec. 9) have also missed the past few and have no timetable for a possible return.
With the long list of injuries, Vegas was forced to call up winger Jonas Rondbjerg, defenceman Brayden Pachal and defenceman Kaeden Korczak from AHL Hendersen.
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg had its four-game win streak snapped on Sunday night at home versus the surging Washington Capitals. After a scoreless first period, the Jets surrendered four consecutive goals in the second period. Adam Lowry and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in the third, but Alex Ovechkin’s empty netter sealed the deal 5-2 for the Caps.
Kyle Connor picked up an assist in the loss extending his point streak to five games. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start after posting a career-high 93 points last season but has scored 14 points (6G 8A) in his past 10 games.
The Jets have been lights out on home ice this season, posting a 10-4 record so far this season. The team can attribute their success to getting production from almost every player on the roster. They have five players with over 23 points in just 27 games and leading the way is defenceman Josh Morrissey with 31 points, just six points back of his career high of 37 last season.
When all else fails, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is there to bail them out, playing Vezina-level hockey with a 14-6-1 record. He leads all goalies with at least 20 games played in save percentage (.930) and goals against average (2.33).
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