Winnipeg Jets vs. New Jersey Devils Prediction, NHL Odds
For a couple of teams that carried sky-high expectations into the season, this second-half of the season matchup is a bit anticlimactic. While this matchup has lost a bit of steam, it is not inconsequential.
The Devils have played some good hockey lately, which has them six points back of a playoff spot. The Jets are eight points out of a playoff spot with six teams separating them from the second wild-card. Winnipeg is not mathematically out of it, but it is close to decision-time for them as the season progresses.
Jets vs. Devils NHL Betting Odds
The Devils are -125 on the NHL odds board and are +185 to cover a -1.5 puck line. The Jets are +105 outright, and the game total is set at 6.0 with the Under posting -120 odds and the Over carrying a +100 price. Winnipeg is just 3-12-1 as an underdog this season, and they’ve been an Over cash cow, as they’re 29-21-1 to the Over.
While the Devils have been the better team lately, their overall struggles, as well as a recent loss at the hands of the Jets, have closed the gap on what may otherwise be a larger money line spread. Winnipeg beat New Jersey earlier this month by a score of 4-3. This time, the Devils are motivated to get two points back from the Jets to keep pace in the East.
Winnipeg Jets
After a streak in which they lost 20 out of 23 games, including an 11-game losing streak, the Jets bounced back with a strong four-game winning streak. Since those consecutive wins, the Jets are 1-2-2 with one goal or fewer scored in three of those five games.
Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabriel Vilardi have a combined 162 points in 153 games played this season, but they have been snakebitten lately. In Winnipeg’s last five games, the team leader in assists and points is Connor with two and three, respectively, and the team leader in goals is Scheifele with two. If the Jets are going to compete in this one, they need to find a way to muster up more offense.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils have not been without adversity themselves this year. It has been an injury-ridden, rumour-mill swirling kind of season. They have the second-worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference and rank 29th in the NHL in goals scored per game.
New Jersey had an ugly December and start to January, but has since turned it on. The Devils are 5-2-0 in their last seven games, at a time they desperately needed points. This team is still battling injuries, but they’ve faced adversity all year. Look for a big effort from the Devils to snag an important two points.
NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Jets vs. Devils?
There is too much going in favour of the Devils to fade them in this spot. A primary factor is the Jets’ poor road play. Winnipeg is the second-worst road team in the NHL with an 8-14-2 record and -14 goal differential away from the friendly confines.
What also bodes well for the Devils is that the Jets will be the second-worst team New Jersey has played in their current 5-2 stretch. Opponents the Devils beat during that span included the Wild, Kraken, and Oilers, each of which is in or tied for a playoff spot. New Jersey also beat the Flames, who are above Winnipeg in the standings. The Devils are in good form right now, and it’s a good time to ride them to a 4-2 home victory.
WIN
NJ