Two clubs that split their season series two wins apiece a year ago, the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets collide at Bell MTS Place in a Central Division matchup. The first puck will drop at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, October 22, and you will be able to view it live on The Sports Network.
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets Odds
St. Louis (+140) is currently the underdog to Winnipeg (-160) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 for the over and -110 for the under.
Winnipeg is 5-3 straight up (SU) and has netted 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. That win percentage, ranked fifth in the NHL so far in the early season, is a slide from what the team managed during last year’s regular season (52-30). Through eight regular season matches, four of the team’s games have gone under the total, while two have gone over and two have pushed. The team is 4-1 SU at home so far this year.
The Jets have successfully scored on 35.0 percent of their power play chances in 2018-19. That’s a big improvement from last season, when they were ranked sixth in the league by scoring on 23.4 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has improved nicely year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 81.0 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 11th overall last season) to 83.3 percent this year.
As a collective unit, the Jets have been penalized 5.1 times per game this season, a number that’s climbed from the 3.8 penalties per game they gave up last year. After serving an average of 8.6 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for a whopping 16.6 minutes per matchup this year.
Averaging 28.3 saves per game with a .914 save percentage, Connor Hellebuyck (three wins, three losses, and one OT loss) has been the top goalkeeper for the Jets this season. If head coach Paul Maurice decides to give him the evening off, however, the team could roll with the undefeated Laurent Brossoit (2-0 record, .955 save percentage, 2.01 goals against average).
The Jets will continue to rely on leadership out of Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor. Morrissey (seven points) has produced one goal and six assists while Connor has four goals and three assists to his name so far in the season’s early stages.
On the other hand, St. Louis is 2-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of three of its contests have gone over the total, while another three have gone under the total and just one has pushed. As the road team so far, the Blues are 1-2 SU.
The Blue Notes have recorded a goal on 28.1 percent of their power play chances this year after converting on 15.4 percent of their extra-man opportunities in 2017-18 (a percentage that was ranked just 30th in the NHL). The team has gone from successfully defending 79.6 percent of opponent power plays (ranked 17th overall last season) to 82.6 percent this year.
St. Louis’ players have been penalized 3.4 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 3.3, which was the third-best mark in the league. After serving an average of 7.7 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to kill penalties for 7.3 minutes per outing this year.
Jake Allen (27.3 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for St. Louis. Allen owns a 2-4-2 record, and has registered a .886 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Blues, the offense will be coordinated by Ryan O’Reilly (one goal, six assists) and David Perron (four goals, three assists).
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets Free Picks
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Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone under in three of Winnipeg’s last five outings.
St. Louis skaters registered 23.1 hits per game last season, while the Jets logged 23.3 hits per contest.
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