Winnipeg Jets vs. Vegas Golden Knights Prediction, NHL Odds
The Jets skated to a narrow 4-3 win in Colorado on Wednesday, and will be playing their third game in four nights when they hit the ice on Thursday. The Golden Knights return home after dropping a 3-2 decision in Calgary on Tuesday, which snapped the team’s schedule-opening three-game win streak.
The Jets have steadily faded since opening as +142 underdogs, and now lag as a +186 bet while the Golden Knights have vaulted to -224 favourites on the NHL odds, backed by 60 per cent of sports bettors. The total is unchanged since opening at 6.5, but the OVER has shortened to a -137 bet after attracting 67 per cent of the betting action.
Jets vs. Golden Knights NHL Betting Odds
Thursday night’s matchup at T-Mobile Arena marks the first of three regular season clashes between these clubs. The Jets claimed victory in all three meetings with Vegas last season, and now ride a five-game win streak in head-to-head action. The Jets have shutout the Golden Knights twice during their current 5-0-0 run, but have been forced to eke out narrow one-goal victories in their past two visits to Sin City. Overall, the OVER has a slight edge in recent dates involving these clubs, prevailing in four of their past seven meetings, and has paid out in three of their past four clashes in Vegas.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets squandered an early two-goal lead and needed overtime to eke out their narrow victory over the Avalanche on Wednesday night. The victory extends what has been a hot-and-cold start to the season for Winnipeg, which dominated in a 4-1 win over New York to open the campaign, but fell flat in a lopsided 4-1 loss in Dallas to kick off this road trip. In addition to their current inconsistency, the Jets have work to do to reverse their recent uneven performance in the back half of games played on back-to-back nights, which has produced just three wins in their past 10 on the road.
The club could also use greater production from their top shooters. While Mark Scheifele has scored three times to date, the quartet of Nik Ehlers, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kyle Connor, and Blake Wheeler have combined to score just a single goal. On a more positive note, promising youngster Cole Perfetti is coming off a two-point performance on Wednesday, and Connor Hellebuyck has been steady between the pipes. But after seeing action on Wednesday, Hellebuyck is expected to give way to backup David Rittich. The 30-year-old looks to redeem himself in his first start of the season after closing out a lost year in Nashville last season by giving up 28 total goals over his final eight appearances, a run that featured just four complete game performances.
Vegas Golden Knights
Confidence in the Golden Knights’ chances of returning to the playoff picture suffered a serious blow with news that goaltender Robin Lehner would be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing hip surgery. But it has been the performance of the unheralded goaltending tandem of Logan Thompson and Adin Hill that has been key to the club’s fast start. While the Golden Knights return home on the heels of their first loss of the season, the goaltending was not to blame. Indeed Thompson stood tall while facing 40 shots on the night, and has now stopped 91 of 97 total shots faced while going 2-1-0 in three starts.
However, Vegas shooters could give their netminders a big lift with stronger offensive performances. After being outshot by a wide 40-21 margin in Tuesday’s loss to the Flames, the Golden Knights have now been outshot in two straight contests. The club must also find ways to maintain momentum for a full sixty minutes after failing to score in the third period over their past three games and tallying just 11 total shots in the final frame over their past two.
WIN
VEG