Winnipeg Jets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, NHL Odds
The All-Star break was huge for the Jets, as it gave them time to get healthy and even make a big trade, headed into the back half of the season.
Pittsburgh is hoping to benefit from the time off as well, as the veteran squad had won just two of their past seven games before the break. The Penguins are still seven points back of a playoff spot but have played the second-fewest games of any team.
The puck drop will drop at 7:00 PM EST. at PPG Paints. Our NHL odds have this one listed as a pick with both teams sitting at -110. The OVER/UNDER is set at 5.5 goals.
Jets vs. Penguins NHL Betting Odds
Tuesday will be the first meeting of the season between the Jets and Penguins and the teams will face off again on Saturday to wrap up the season series. They split last season’s two-game series, but the Penguins have dominated this head-to-head over the past two seasons, winning four of the past five meetings.
Winnipeg had an issue with the scoring depth on their roster after scoring more than two goals just once in the six games before the All-Star break while missing top-line centre Mark Scheifele. They had only hit the OVER once in their last 10 games, setting them at 15-25-7 on this season’s OVER/UNDER, the fewest OVERs in the league. Their 30-17 record on the spread is one of the best in the league, but they have only covered twice in the past seven.
The Penguins also tend to have low-scoring games at 16-27-3 on the OVER/UNDER, hence the low total of 5.5 on Tuesday’s line. They played the UNDER in seven of their past 10 games, scoring more than three goals just twice in that stretch. Pittsburgh’s 25-21 record ATS aligns with their win/loss in a sense as well. They have won five more games than they lost.
Winnipeg Jets
Back-to-back losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs are not how any player wants to go into the All-Star break and even worse for the Jets, they had lost three games in a row. The break came at a nice time for the team though as they will get leading scorer and top centre Mark Scheifele back on the roster when they get back in action on Tuesday. The 30-year-old has 41 points (14G 27A) through 41 games and was missed dearly for six games, dealing with a lower-body injury.
The return of Scheifele will certainly help the squad, but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff helped the team even more, by acquiring another centre from the Montreal Canadiens; Sean Monahan. Monahan was third on the Canadiens in points with 35 through 49 games, while playing a solid two-way game. He will make his Jets debut on Tuesday night, playing with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers on the team’s second line.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck is looking to continue his dominant campaign after appearing in his fourth All-Star game. The 30-year-old has already one Vezina Trophy to his name and is looking for another this season. He is listed as the favourite on our NHL Futures Board at -120.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are coming off of a long 10-day break and are hoping to be fresh as they head into the second half. They started their vacation on January 27th after taking down the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime.
Sitting seven points out of a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference is troubling for a team that looked as though they were all in on this season. Hopefully, the veterans on the club will benefit from the time off and contribute more offensively in the second half. Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are all off to lacklustre starts this season and the Penguins are having trouble scoring goals. They score 20th in the league, averaging less than three per game. The defence and goaltending have been solid, allowing just 2.7 per game good for sixth in the league.
Expect goaltender Tristan Jarry to continue his great season after being snubbed from the All-Star game. The 28-year-old is in the top 10 in goals-against average and save percentage amongst goalies with over 30 games played and is tied for the league lead in shutouts at five. With the NHL announcing they will allow their players in the 2026 Olympics, expect Jarry to put himself in the conversation for Team Canada.