Who's ready for some more Thursday NHL action? Next up on the scheduled slate, the Winnipeg Jets will make the trip south to the “Gateway of the West” to take on the scuffling St. Louis Blues. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Jets-Blues prediction and pick will be unveiled.
The last time the Jets hit the ice, they were able to secure yet another 5-2 victory but this time coming against a formidable Florida Panther squad. Not only that, but the victory was Winnipeg's sixth in their previous eight games overall. Without a doubt, the Jets are looking like one of the top squads to beat throughout the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
Despite St. Louis' struggles up to this point, there is still an abundant amount of time and talent on this roster for the Blues to right their wrongs and start heading in the right direction. Fresh off of a 7-4 victory over the Islanders that helped break a four-game losing skid, can the Blues win two in a row for the first time in weeks?
Here are the Jets-Blues NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Jets-Blues Odds
Winnipeg Jets: -1.5 (+198)
St. Louis Blues: +1.5 (-250)
Over: 6 (-115)
Under: 6 (-105)
Why The Jets Could Cover The Spread
On paper, the Jets are playing like a team that has few to little weaknesses. Combine that with a dangerous amount of confidence, there aren't many teams around the league right now that would want to square off with this team when it is playing at its best. Although Winnipeg won't be playing at home where they have been near unbeatable, the Jets' 6-4-1 road record suggests they will be a tough out for the Blues this evening.
At first glance, the Jets' best way to cover the spread in this one will come from a ferocious offensive attack. To dive even deeper, Winnipeg has found a gem in Kyle Connor, as the former first-round pick from 2015 has been competing like a man possessed over the course of his last five games. In fact, Connor has racked up nine total points over that span of time and has been one of the biggest reasons why Winnipeg has found a way to score at least five goals in five of their previous six games. Believe it or not, Winnipeg remains as one of the more prolific scoring offenses in all of hockey with 3.29 goals per contest.
Now tied for the Central Division lead with the Dallas Stars with 33 points, the next best bet for the Jets to cover will be in large part due to their winning ways at Enterprise Center. In fact, the Jets have beaten the Blues here five of the last six times and have treated the arena like a second home in recent seasons. Not to mention, the Jets are an impressive 15-9 against the spread which makes them even that much more trustworthy to bet on.
Why The Blues Could Cover The Spread
Unfortunately, the same success has not been as easy to grasp for the Blues, as the name of this franchise has been an accurate representation of what it's been like to be a St. Louis hockey fan in the first couple of months of regular season play. All in all, Let's not forget that there have only been 26 games played this season and that the Blues are indeed fresh off of a playoff appearance a year ago and have returned many of the same players that were on that team.
When it comes to finding a way to have a repeat of their previous game and cover the spread against the Jets in doing so, St. Louis will prove to be reliant on their ability to build off of a strong offensive performance. Against the Islanders, the Blues scored a season-high seven goals en route to the much-needed victory and seemed to finally have a breakthrough performance from a multitude of their skaters. Clearly, getting off to another fast start could prove to be vital versus a Jets squad that can score in a hurry. Ranked within the bottom of goals scored per game in the league. St. Louis cannot afford for this game to turn into a shootout. Instead, receiving an excellent outing from goaltender Jordan Binnington could prove to be the ultimate deciding factor.
Final Jets-Blues Prediction & Pick
While these are two teams that are technically at opposite ends of the standings, expect this one to be much closer than others think. With some new-found swagger, St. Louis will find a way to cover the spread in front of their restless home fans.
Final Jets-Blues Prediction & Pick: Blues +1.5 (-250)
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