Two teams that have put themselves squarely in playoff contention, the New York Islanders and the Winnipeg Jets collide at Bell MTS Place in an East-West matchup. The action gets going at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, December 29, and you are able to witness the game live on MSG Plus 2.
New York Islanders vs. Winnipeg Jets Odds
New York (+125) is entering this one as the underdog to Winnipeg (-145), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-125 for the over, +105 for the under).
Winnipeg is 21-17 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 3.2 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked third in the Central Division so far this season, is a welcome improvement compared to what the team did during last year’s regular season (40-42). Of its 38 games this season, 21 have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 13-4 SU at home this year.
The Jets have connected on 23.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.9 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Jets have been penalized 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five outings home outings. The team has had to stave off opposition power plays for just 7.0 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, in total.
Sporting a .919 save percentage and 26.8 saves per game, Connor Hellebuyck (19-11-5) has been the primary option in goal for Winnipeg this year. If Winnipeg chooses to give him a rest, however, the team may roll with Steve Mason (2-8-8 record, .899 save percentage, 3.47 goals against average).
Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele will both be focal points for the Jets. Wheeler (42 points) has tallied nine goals and 33 assists and has recorded two or more points in 11 different games this year. Scheifele has 15 goals and 23 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 21 games.
New York is 20-17 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of 25 of its outings have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Islanders are 8-11 SU as the road team this season.
The Islanders have converted on 22.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 30th overall and it’s successfully killed off 74.5 percent of all penalties.
New York’s skaters have been whistled for penalties only 3.4 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their last ten outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jaroslav Halak (27.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Halak has 11 wins, 11 losses, and two OT losses to his credit, while registering a .908 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Islanders will be John Tavares (21 goals, 27 assists) and Josh Bailey (11 goals, 37 assists).
New York Islanders vs. Winnipeg Jets Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Over New York’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
Power plays and penalty kills could be critical in tonight’s matchup. The Islanders are 9-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-13 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Jets are 10-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-9 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
New York is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Winnipeg is 1-1 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Winnipeg’s last five games.
Winnipeg has averaged 10.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.8 giveaways per game (ranked 18th).
New York is ranked 25th this season with 11.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward, as it’s averaged 13.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 14.8 giveaways over its last five.
The Jets this season have recorded the 12th-most hits in the NHL (22.1 per game).
