Two teams that have put themselves firmly in the playoff hunt, the Winnipeg Jets and the Boston Bruins meet at TD Garden in an East-West showdown. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 21, and you’ll be able to view it live on New England Sports Network.
Winnipeg Jets at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston enters the matchup as the noticeable favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for Winnipeg sits at +120, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 to bet the over, +100 for the under). After they originally opened at -110 for either, those lines have shifted.
Winnipeg is 20-15 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.3 units this year. Through 35 regular season contests, 19 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Jets are 8-11 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Winnipeg has converted on 25.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the league. Its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.5 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Jets have been penalized 4.3 times per game during the 2017-18 season, and 3.6 per game over its past five games. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 26.8 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Connor Hellebuyck (18-10-4) has been the primary option in goal for Winnipeg this year. If head coach Paul Maurice chooses to rest him, however, the team might go with Steve Mason (2-7-1 record, .907 save percentage, 3.26 goals against average).
Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Jets. Wheeler has 41 points via nine goals and 32 assists, and has recorded two or more points 10 times. Scheifele has 15 goals and 22 assists to his name, and has logged a point in 20 games.
Boston is 17-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 17 of its contests have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 10-8 SU as the home team this season.
The Bruins have converted on just 20.6 percent of their power play chances this season, 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 83.3 percent of all penalties.
Bruins players have been penalized 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties 17.6 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Tuukka Rask has denied 24.1 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for the Bruins. Rask has nine wins, 12 losses, and three overtime losses and has registered a 2.42 goals against average and a .912 save percentage this season.
The Bruins offense will be led by David Pastrnak (15 goals, 16 assists).
Winnipeg Jets at Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Jets, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in three of Boston’s last five outings.
Boston’s attempted 32.0 shots per game overall this season (ranked 14th in the NHL), and 35.0 across their last 10 outings.
Over Boston’s last ten outings, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-2 in those games).
The Bruins this season have handed the fifth-most hits per game (23.9).
