Two squads that are squarely in playoff contention, the Winnipeg Jets and the first-year franchise Vegas Golden Knights take the ice at Bell MTS Place in a Western Conference tilt. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will air the action, which gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, December 1.
Vegas Golden Knights at Winnipeg Jets Odds
Winnipeg (-185) is currently favored over Vegas (+160) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -105 money on the over and -115 for the under.
Netting 4.8 units for moneyline bettors, Winnipeg is 15-10 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, ranked second in the Central Division so far this season, is a welcome improvement compared to what the team managed during last year’s regular season (40-42). Through 25 regular season outings, 13 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and none have pushed. The team’s 8-3 SU at home this season.
The Jets have converted on 23.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 23rd overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.5 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Jets have been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, and 5.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties for 12.2 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Boasting a .926 save percentage and 27.4 saves per game, Connor Hellebuyck (13-7-3) has been the top goalkeeper for Winnipeg this year. If head coach Paul Maurice chooses to give him a rest, however, Winnipeg may turn to Steve Mason (2-6-6 record, .904 save percentage, 3.45 goals against average).
The Jets will continue looking for leadership from Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Scheifele (29 points) has tallied 12 goals and 17 assists and has recorded two or more points on eight separate occasions this year. Wheeler has six goals and 22 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 13 contests.
Vegas is 15-9 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 10.5 units this year. A total of 14 of its contests have gone over the total, while seven have gone under and just two have pushed. The Golden Knights are 6-7 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Golden Knights have converted on 20.7 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 15th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vegas’ skaters have been called for penalties only 3.5 times per game in total this season, 3.6 per game over their past five match ups total, and 3.6 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Maxime Lagace (.870 save percentage and 3.66 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Vegas. Lagace is averaging 22.3 saves per game and has six wins, six losses, and one OT loss to his credit.
William Karlsson (13 goals, 10 assists) and Jonathan Marchessault (nine goals, 13 assists) have been standout playmakers for Vegas and will pace the attack for the visiting Golden Knights.
Vegas Golden Knights at Winnipeg Jets Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Seven of Winnipeg’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 5-2 overall in those games.
Power plays and penalty kills could play a critical role in tonight’s game. The Golden Knights are 7-4 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-7 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Jets are 6-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 7-5 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
The total has gone under in four of Winnipeg’s last five outings.
Winnipeg skaters have averaged 13.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.7 giveaways per game (ranked 15th overall).
Vegas has averaged 5.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 10.2 giveaways per game (ranked 20th overall).
