Coming into tonight’s matchup with two wins each in the series Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets square off at Bridgestone Arena in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semis. NBC Sports Network will broadcast the matchup, and the action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 29.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators Odds
Winnipeg (+155) is entering this one as the underdog to Nashville (-175), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -115 money on the over and -105 for the under.
Earning moneyline bettors 11.7 units, the Predators are 57-32 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked third in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 41-41 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 89 games this season, 44 have gone over the total, while an additional 44 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 30-15 SU at home this season.
Nashville’s offensive attack attempted 32.6 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.3 goals per outing (ranked seventh overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team is up to an average of 37.1 shots on goal ( 3.3 goals per game).
After sporting the 14th-ranked power-play unit in the regular season (converting 20.6 percent of all opportunities), the Predators have been able to score on 13.6 percent of their power plays in the postseason. Their penalty kill has gone from 82.4 percent in the regular season to 90.0 percent in the playoffs.
Averaging 28.2 saves per game with a .925 save percentage, Pekka Rinne (46-20-4) has been the best option in goal for the Predators this year. If head coach Peter Laviolette chooses to give him a rest, however, the team could go with Juuse Saros (12-16-16 record, .927 save percentage, 2.36 goals against average).
Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson will each lead the offensive attack for the Predators. Forsberg (70 points) has tallied 30 goals and 40 assists and has recorded multiple points in 20 different games this year. Arvidsson has 31 goals and 33 assists to his name and has notched a point in 46 contests.
On the other side of the ice, Winnipeg is 57-31 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 21.2 units this season. Through 88 regular season outings, 44 of its games have gone under the total, while 42 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the road team, Winnipeg is 22-22 SU.
Winnipeg has scored on 23.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for fifth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Winnipeg’s players have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, and 4.6 per game over their last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties 10.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Connor Hellebuyck (28.1 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Winnipeg. Hellebuyck has 49 wins, 24 losses, and nine OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .925 save percentage and 2.31 goals against average this year.
Blake Wheeler (24 goals, 73 assists) has been one of the most vital offensive facilitators for the visiting Jets.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Jets, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in four of Nashville’s last five outings.
Winnipeg has managed 30.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Nashville is averaging 36.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
The extra-man advantage could be key in the outcome of this game. The Jets are 24-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 38-20 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Predators are 21-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 27-17 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Nashville has created 10.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.0 takeaways per game (ranked 11th in the league).
Winnipeg has averaged 3.4 goals per game, while giving up just 1.6, over the team’s five-game winning streak.
Winnipeg has managed 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 7.2 takeaways per game (ranked 16th overall).
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