Bell MTS Place will be hosting an enticing showdown as the Boston Bruins come into town to face the Winnipeg Jets. It’s the last time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The first puck will drop at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 14, and fans at home are able to catch this East-West matchup live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at Winnipeg Jets Odds
With a -120 moneyline, Winnipeg enters the game as the favorite. The line for Boston now stands at +100, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
Boston is 42-28 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 70 regular season outings, 40 of its games have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just three have pushed. As a road team in 2018-19, the Bruins are 15-18 SU.
Boston has converted on 26.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Boston has been penalized 4.0 times per game overall in the 2018-19 season, and 5.0 per game over its last five outings. The team has had to kill penalties 9.2 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
With a .918 save percentage and 25.4 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (24-15-5) has been the top option in goal for Boston this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, the team could go with Jaroslav Halak (18-17-4), who has a .924 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average this year.
Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Bruins. Marchand has 85 points on 30 goals and 55 assists, and has recorded two or more points 24 times. Pastrnak has 31 goals and 35 assists to his name, and has registered a point in 37 games.
Winnipeg is 40-29 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 1.4 units this year. 35 of its outings have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just seven have pushed. It’s 22-13 SU as the home team this season.
Winnipeg has converted on 25.3 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.0 percent of all penalties.
The Jets have been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, 4.2 per game over their last five games total, and 3.4 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Connor Hellebuyck (29.6 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for Winnipeg. Hellebuyck has 28 wins, 24 losses, and two overtime losses and has maintained a pedestrian 3.01 goals against average and a subpar .909 save percentage this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Blake Wheeler (19 goals, 65 assists).
Boston Bruins vs. Winnipeg Jets Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the game went over the total in four of their past five outings.
- Boston’s attempted 32.8 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 30.2 in its last five road outings.
- Power plays and penalty kills may be even more critical than usual in tonight’s game. The Bruins are 20-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-18 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Jets are 18-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 25-19 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Two of Boston’s past 10 contests have ended in a shootout. The team’s 1-1 in those games and 2-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- Winnipeg has created 5.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.6 takeaways per game (ranked 16th).
- Boston skaters have forced 7.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 9.1 takeaways per game (ranked sixth in the NHL).
