Two of the NHL’s best teams on the power play, the Winnipeg Jets and the Detroit Red Wings meet at Little Caesars Arena for an East-West showdown. The action will get started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 5 and it’s being shown live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Winnipeg Jets at Detroit Red Wings Odds
Winnipeg (+115) is entering this one as the underdog to Winnipeg (-135) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -125 over, +105 under.
Winnipeg is 17-10 straight up (SU) and has earned 6.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 27 regular season matches, 14 of its games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and none have pushed. This 2017-18 Jets team is 7-7 SU on the road.
Winnipeg currently has the first-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 27.7 percent of its extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and the teams successfully killed off 79.4 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Jets have been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, 4.2 per game over its last five matchups total, and 4.2 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .925 save percentage and 27.0 saves per game, Connor Hellebuyck (15-7-3) has been the top option in goal for Winnipeg this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, the team might turn to Steve Mason (2-6-1 record, .904 save percentage, 3.45 goals against average).
Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Jets. Wheeler has 35 points on seven goals and 28 assists, and has recorded two or more points nine times. Scheifele has 14 goals and 20 assists to his creditand has registered at least one point in 17 games.
Detroit is 10-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 14 of its contests have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 4-9 SU at home this year.
The Red Wings have converted on 22.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for seventh-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all penalties.
Red Wings skaters have been sent to the penalty box 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 3.2 per game over their past five games. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jimmy Howard has stopped 26.0 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Red Wings. Howard has eight wins, 14 losses, and four OT losses to his credit and has recorded a subpar .908 save percentage and 2.94 goals against average this season.
Dylan Larkin (four goals, 19 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Wings.
Winnipeg Jets at Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Six of Detroit’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 2-4 overall in those games.
- Penalties and power plays may be even more critical than usual in the outcome of this game. The Jets are 7-4 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-5 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Red Wings are 2-6 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 5-12 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- The total has gone over in three of Detroit’s last five games.
- Detroit has allowed 3.3 goals per game overall this year, but is giving up 5.1 goals per contest on its seven-game losing skid.
- Detroit is ranked 23rd this season with 11.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the teams averaged 12.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 13.4 giveaways over its last five.
- Winnipeg skaters have averaged 8.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.7 giveaways per game (ranked 15th in the league).
