The Nashville Predators hope to stave off elimination at Bell MTS Place in Game 6 of the NHL’s Western Conference Semifinals. The match gets going at 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, May 7 and it will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets Odds
Winnipeg enters the matchup as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -155. The line for Nashville sits at +135, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
The Jets are 59-33 straight up (SU) and have earned 21.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the NHL in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 40-42 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Through 92 regular season outings, 45 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while another 45 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team is 36-10 SU at home.
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 postseason, the club’s up to an average of 34.8 shots on goal 3.8 goals per game.
After producing the fifth-best power-play unit in the regular season (scoring on 23.7 percent of all chances), the Jets have been able to score on 26.9 percent of their extra-man advantages in the postseason. Their penalty kill has gone from 81.1 percent in the regular season to 74.1 percent in the playoffs.
Averaging 28.3 saves per game with a .924 save percentage, Connor Hellebuyck (51-26-10) has been the top option in goal for the Jets this season. If the Jets choose to give him a breather, however, the team could turn to Steve Mason (5-9-9 record, .907 save percentage, 3.15 goals against average).
Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine will each lead the way for the Jets. Wheeler (104 points) has tallied 26 goals and 78 assists and has recorded two or more points 27 times this year. Laine has 47 goals and 32 assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 58 contests.
On the other side of the rink, Nashville is 59-34 straight up (SU) and has netted 11.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 47 of its contests have gone over the total, while 45 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the visiting team, Nashville is 28-18 SU.
Nashville has converted on 21.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully defended 82.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Nashville’s players have been called for penalties 4.5 times per game this season, and 5.4 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Pekka Rinne (28.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Nashville. Rinne has 48 wins, 22 losses, and four overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .923 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average this year.
Filip Forsberg (31 goals, 45 assists) will pace the attack for the visiting Predators.
Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Winnipeg’s last five games.
Nashville has managed 32.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Winnipeg is averaging 37.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
Power plays and penalty kills could prove to be even more critical than usual in this game. The Predators are 21-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 28-18 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Jets are 26-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 39-21 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Winnipeg has created 4.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.1 takeaways per game (ranked 16th).
Nashville skaters have created 7.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 8.0 takeaways per game (ranked 11th).
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