The Enterprise Center is the site for an enticing tilt as the St. Louis Blues welcome the visiting Winnipeg Jets. This Central Division matchup gets underway at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 29 and it can be viewed live on Fox Sports Midwest.
Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-180) is tabbed as the heavy favorite over Winnipeg (+160) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 over, +100 under.
The Blues are 25-14 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 7.7 units this year. That winning percentage, second-best in the NHL so far this season, is an improvement compared to what the team managed during the 2018-19 season (45-37). Of its 39 regular season contests, 20 have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the team is 12-7 SU at home.
St. Louis has converted on 24.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.3 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties just 3.3 times per game overall this season, 3.8 per game over its past five outings total, and 3.4 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays for just 7.5 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
Averaging 27.3 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Jordan Binnington (18-10-4) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for the Blues this season. If they, however, choose to rest him, the team might roll with Jake Allen (7-5-5 record, .931 save percentage, 2.19 goals against average).
David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly will each be focal points for the Blues. Perron (39 points) is up to 16 goals and 23 assists and has recorded two or more points seven times this year. O’Reilly has seven goals and 26 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 21 contests.
In the other locker room, Winnipeg is 21-17 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.8 units this year. A total of 20 of its matches have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and just one has pushed. As the visiting team so far, Winnipeg is 11-7 SU.
Winnipeg has converted on 19.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 32nd overall and it’s successfully killed off 72.5 percent of all penalties.
Winnipeg’s skaters have been called for penalties only 2.9 times per game this season, and 3.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Connor Hellebuyck (28.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Winnipeg. Hellebuyck owns an 18-13-3 record, while registering a .924 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Jets will be Mark Scheifele (17 goals, 23 assists) and Patrik Laine (14 goals, 23 assists).
Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five outings.
- Winnipeg has managed 30.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while St. Louis is averaging 34.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Power plays and penalty kills could prove to be extremely important in this one. The Jets are 12-10 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 14-16 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blues are 12-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 20-9 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Winnipeg is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while St. Louis is 0-3 in shootouts.
- St. Louis skaters have created 10.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.6 takeaways per game (ranked 16th in the league).
- Winnipeg is ranked 21st in the league this season with 7.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as the team has forced 6.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 takeaways over its last five.
