A couple of teams riding winning streaks, the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche clash at the Pepsi Center in a divisional tilt. The first puck will drop at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, and it is being televised live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
Winnipeg comes into the matchup as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for Colorado sits at +120 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Winnipeg is 23-17 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 5.6 units this season. Through 40 regular season matches, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Jets are 9-13 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Winnipeg has converted on 24.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Jets have been sent to the penalty box 4.0 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, and 2.6 per game over its last five games. The team has had to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.5 saves per game with a .923 save percentage, Connor Hellebuyck (21-11-5) has been the top option in goal for Winnipeg this year. If Winnipeg chooses to rest him, however, the team might turn to Steve Mason (2-8-1), who has a .899 save percentage and 3.47 goals against average this year.
The visiting Jets have relied on Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele heavily this season. Wheeler (45 points) is up to 11 goals and 34 assists, and has recorded two or more points 12 times. Scheifele has 15 goals and 23 assists to his name (and has registered at least one point in 21 games).
On the other side of the rink, Colorado is 19-19 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 38 regular season matches, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team’s 12-8 SU at home.
The Avalanche have converted on just 19.9 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Colorado players have been called for penalties 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays 9.0 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Semyon Varlamov (28.8 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for the Avalanche. Varlamov has 13 wins, 12 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a mediocre 2.94 goals against average and a poor .909 save percentage this year.
Nathan MacKinnon (16 goals, 30 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Avs.
Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Eight of Winnipeg’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-3 in those games.
Winnipeg has allowed 2.8 goals per game overall this year, but has driven that figure down to 1.7 per contest over the team’s three-game winning streak.
The Jets are 12-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 14-9 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Winnipeg is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Colorado is 1-1 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in three of Colorado’s last five outings.
Colorado has averaged 3.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.3 giveaways per game (ranked 3rd overall).
Winnipeg is ranked 19th this season with 9.9 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it’s averaged 11.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 14.0 giveaways over its last five.
