Jets vs. Penguins NHL Betting Odds, Picks: Kyle Connor is producing early for Winnipeg
The Winnipeg Jets look to build on their first win of the new season when they visit Sidney Crosby and the undefeated Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night in NHL betting action at PPG Paints Arena.
The Jets bounced back from a season-opening overtime loss to Boston with a 3-2 victory in Detroit on Saturday night, snapping a five-game slide that dated back to early April.
The Penguins blew a 5-1 lead and needed overtime to claim 6-5 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night to improve their record to 2-0-0.
The Penguins get set to hit the ice as strong -175 home favourites on the Monday NHL odds. The Jets lag as +145 underdogs on the NHL moneyline, and the total is pegged at 6.5.
Jets vs. Penguins NHL Betting Odds
Monday night’s matchup is the first of two scheduled regular-season meetings between these squads. These clubs split a pair of games last season, with the home team emerging victorious in each, capped by the Penguins’ 5-4 shootout victory on March 21.
With that win, the Penguins halted a four-game slide when facing the Jets, during which they scored just seven total goals, but have won just three of five on home ice when facing the Jets.
Winners in five of seven dates with the Pens, the Jets have claimed victory by multi-goal margins four times over that stretch. However, recent head-to-head dates have been low scoring, with the total going UNDER in seven of their past 10.
The Penguins sported the NHL’s third best offence last season, averaging 3.57 goals per game, and have potted 13 total goals during their 2-0-0 start. However, their defensive meltdown versus the Habs has raised concern.
The Jets have scored three goals in each of their first two games, with four of those markers coming inside the first 26 minutes of action and the club failing to score after 40 minutes.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets picked up their first win Sunday, 3-2 in Detroit, after opening with an overtime loss. The big early story is the play of Kyle Connor, who had two goals and an assist Sunday and already has three goals and five points through two games. Cole Perfetti added a goal and two assists against Detroit.
The Jets’ power play has also impressed. Winnipeg went 3-for-4 with the extra man in Sunday’s win and is 4-for-7 through two games. Connor and Perfetti have been particularly dangerous with the man advantage, and Winnipeg’s approach has been noticeably direct rather than spending excessive time moving the puck around the perimeter.
After a steady performance by Stuart Skinner between the pipes in Detroit, Clay Stevenson is expected to make his Jets debut and just his second NHL appearance on Monday night. Interestingly, Stevenson’s first NHL game also came at PPG Paints Arena in April 2025, and the 27-year-old went 3-1-0 in four starts with Washington last season, stopping 93 of 101 total shots on goal.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pens looked like they were well on their way to a second straight dominant win in on Saturday, when they seized a 5-1 second-period lead. But they fell flat in the third period, surrendering three straight goals while getting outshot by a 10-5 margin before Tommy Novak iced the victory in overtime. Novak potted a pair of markers and added an assist in the contest and has now recorded four points in two outings.
Evgeni Malkin also scored and enjoyed a three-point night after tallying his first goal of the season in the club’s 7-0 rout of Philadelphia.
Veteran rearguards Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang have each picked up three assists through their first two contests.
But while Sidney Crosby has set up goals in each of the first two games, he has yet to score this season and has tallied just three total goals in his past 26 game appearances since last January.
WIN
PIT