The Winnipeg Jets at the Xcel Energy Center in Game 3 of the NHL postseason’s first round. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 15 and it can be viewed live on USA, RSN, TVA and FSN.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild Odds
Winnipeg heads into the matchup as the slight favorite with a moneyline of -115. The line for Minnesota sits at -105, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -130 under, +110 over.
Winnipeg is 54-30 straight up (SU) and has earned 18.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 41 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 41 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Jets are 20-21 SU on the road in 2017-18.
After producing the fifth-strongest power-play unit in the regular season (scoring on 23.5 percent of all chances), the Jets have been able to score on 25.0 percent of their extra-man advantages in the early stages of these playoffs.
Winnipeg’s offensive skaters attempted 32.5 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.4 goals per outing (ranked second overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club is up to an average of 42.0 shots on goal 3.5 goals per game.
Averaging 27.9 saves per game with a .924 save percentage, Connor Hellebuyck (46-23-9) has been the primary option in goal for Winnipeg this year. If it decides to rest him, however, Winnipeg could roll with Steve Mason (5-8-1), who has a .906 save percentage and 3.24 goals against average this year.
The visiting Jets have relied heavily on Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine this year. Wheeler has 92 points on 23 goals and 69 assists, and has recorded two or more points 25 times. Laine has 46 goals and 27 assists to his credit (and has notched a point in 52 games).
On the other bench, Minnesota is 45-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 41 of its matches have gone over the total, while 39 have gone under and just four have pushed. It’s 27-14 SU as the home team this year.
Minnesota has converted on 20.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Minnesota players have been called for penalties 3.8 times per game in total this season, and 4.8 per game over their last five outings. The team’s had to kill penalties a whopping 14.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Devan Dubnyk (27.4 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has 36 wins, 26 losses, and seven OT losses to his name and has maintained a 2.56 goals against average and a .918 save percentage this season.
Eric Staal (42 goals, 34 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Wild.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The under has hit in three of Minnesota’s last five outings.
The Jets are 24-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 35-19 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Minnesota is ranked 25th in the league this season with 5.8 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower lately, however, as the team has created 4.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 3.8 takeaways over its last five.
Winnipeg has scored 3.6 goals per game (while allowing just 1.8) over their five-game winning streak.
Winnipeg is ranked 16th in the league this season with 7.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as it has forced 7.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.2 takeaways over its last five.
Winnipeg might have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 23-14 in games decided by one goal, while Minnesota is 12-16 in such games.
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