TD Garden will be hosting an East-West showdown as the Boston Bruins face off against the visiting Winnipeg Jets. New England Sports Network will broadcast the game, and the opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 21.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Boston Bruins Odds
With a -140 moneyline, Boston heads into the game as the noticeable favorite. The line for Winnipeg sits at +120. The Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals and initially opened at -110 for the over and -110 for the under. That line has since shifted however, and it now sits at -120 for the over and +100 for the under.
Winnipeg is 20-15 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.3 units this season. 19 of its outings have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Jets are 8-11 SU as a road team in 2017-18.
Winnipeg has converted on 25.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 23rd in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 79.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Jets have been penalized 4.3 times per game during the 2017-18 season, and 3.6 per game over its past five contests. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 26.8 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Connor Hellebuyck (18-10-4) has been the best option in goal for Winnipeg this year. If Winnipeg decides to rest him, however, head coach Paul Maurice may go with Steve Mason (2-7-1 record, .907 save percentage, 3.26 goals against average).
The visiting Jets have relied on Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele heavily this year. Wheeler (41 points) is up to nine goals and 32 assists, and has recorded two or more points 10 times. Scheifele has 15 goals and 22 assists to his name, and has notched at least one point in 20 games.
On the other side of the rink, Boston is 17-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 32 regular season outings, 17 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 10-8 SU at home this year.
The Bruins have converted on just 20.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Bruins skaters have been penalized 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five at home. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays 17.6 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Tuukka Rask (24.1 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for the Bruins. Rask has nine wins, 12 losses, and three OT losses and has maintained a 2.42 goals against average and a .912 save percentage this year.
The Bruins will be led on offense by David Pastrnak (15 goals, 16 assists).
Winnipeg Jets at Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Jets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Seven of Boston’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 5-2 overall in those games.
- The Jets are 9-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-7 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- The total has gone under in three of Boston’s last five games.
- Boston has averaged 10.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.1 giveaways per game (ranked 11th in the NHL).
- Winnipeg has averaged 7.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.4 giveaways per game (ranked 13th).
- The Bruins this season have recorded the fifth-most hits in the NHL (23.9 per game).
