A couple of teams that are squarely in the playoff hunt, the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets meet at Bell MTS Place for a Central Division tilt. The match gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, February 16 and it can be caught live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets Odds
Winnipeg comes into the game as the noticeable favorite with a -200 moneyline. The line for Colorado sits at +170, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total sit at -115 money on the over and -105 for the under.
Earning moneyline bettors 6.0 units, Winnipeg is 33-24 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Central Division so far in this young season, is a welcome improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (40-42). Among the team’s 57 games this season, 28 have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 21-7 SU at home this season.
The Jets have converted on 23.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.9 percent of all penalties.
The Jets, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five matchups at home. The team has had to kill penalties for just 6.5 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, in total.
With a .922 save percentage and 27.5 saves per game, Connor Hellebuyck (29-18-8) has been the best goalkeeper for Winnipeg this season. If the Jets choose to rest him, however, head coach Paul Maurice might go with Steve Mason (3-8-8 record, .897 save percentage, 3.52 goals against average).
The Jets will continue to rely on offensive production from Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. Wheeler (61 points) is up to 14 goals and 47 assists and has recorded multiple points 17 times this year. Scheifele has 17 goals and 25 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 23 contests.
On the other side of the ice, Colorado is 31-25 straight up (SU) and has earned 10.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 30 of its contests have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Avalanche are 11-17 SU as a road team this season.
The Avalanche have converted on 19.2 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked third overall and it’s successfully defended 83.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Colorado’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five on the road. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Semyon Varlamov (2.80 goals against average and .914 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov is averaging 28.5 saves per game and has 15 wins, 15 losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
For the visiting Avalanche, the offense will be coordinated by Nathan MacKinnon, who has 37 assists and 24 goals on the year.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Jets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Colorado is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Winnipeg is 2-2 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in three of Winnipeg’s last five games.
Colorado has managed 27.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Winnipeg has been attempting 31.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
Seven of Colorado’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 2-5 in those games.
