Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and the Colorado Avalanche will do battle against Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place in a divisional matchup. The match gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 8, and fans at home are able to catch the game live on The Sports Network.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets Odds
The Jets (-165) are currently heavily favored over the Avalanche (+145) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -130 for the over and +110 for the under.
Winnipeg is 26-15 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, the NHL’s third-strongest so far in the early season, hasn’t moved much from what the team produced during last year’s regular season (52-30). Of its 41 games this season, 19 have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just five have pushed. The team’s 14-8 SU at home this year.
The Jets come into the matchup with the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they have scored on 28.0 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
With a .910 save percentage and 27.7 saves per game, Connor Hellebuyck (18 wins, 14 losses, and one OT loss) has been the primary goalkeeper for Winnipeg this season. If head coach Paul Maurice decides to rest him, however, the team could turn to Laurent Brossoit (8-2-2 record, .939 save percentage, 2.11 goals against average).
On the visitors’ side of the ice, Colorado is 20-22 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 22 of its outings have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under the total and none have pushed. As the away team, the Avalanche are 11-11 SU so far.
The Avalanche have converted on 26.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 24th overall and it’s successfully killed off 77.3 percent of all penalties.
Semyon Varlamov (.912 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov is averaging 27.7 saves per game and owns an 11-14-5 record.
Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Jets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Six of Winnipeg’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 2-4 overall in those games.
- Extra-man opportunities may prove to be critical tonight. The Avalanche are 8-9 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-12 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Jets are 13-6 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 17-10 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Winnipeg could hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 11-5 in games decided by one goal, while Colorado is 4-14 in such games.
- The under has hit in three of Winnipeg’s last five games.
- Colorado skaters have averaged 4.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.3 giveaways per game (the third-fewest in the NHL).
- Winnipeg has averaged 10.0 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 9.4 giveaways per game (ranked 13th).
