Two teams that are squarely in playoff contention, the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets collide at Bell MTS Place for a Central Division tilt. Fox Sports Midwest will air the game, and the opening face-off is at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 17.
St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets Odds
St. Louis is 22-12 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 34 regular season matches, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and none have pushed. The Blue Notes are 10-5 SU as a road team in 2017-18.
St. Louis has converted on just 17.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 19th in the league, and it has successfully killed off 80.6 percent of its penalties.For the team as a whole, the Blue Notes have been sent to the penalty box just 3.5 times per game in the 2017-18 season, 3.4 per game over its past five contests total, and 3.6 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 24.8 saves per game with a .911 save percentage, Jake Allen (17-11-2) has been the top option in goal for St. Louis this year. If head coach Mike Yeo decides to rest him, however, St. Louis could turn to Carter Hutton (6-3), who has a .949 save percentage and 1.63 goals against average this year.
The visiting Blues have relied on Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko heavily this season. Schenn (38 points) is up to 16 goals and 22 assists, and has recorded multiple points 10 times. Tarasenko has 15 goals and 20 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in 20 games).
On the other bench, Winnipeg is 18-15 straight up (SU) and has netted 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 11-4 SU as the home team.
The Jets have converted on 25.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 24th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Winnipeg players have been penalized 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.0 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Connor Hellebuyck (26.8 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Jets. Hellebuyck has 16 wins, 10 losses, and four overtime losses and has maintained a 2.54 goals against average and a .917 save percentage this season.
The Jets offense will be led by Blake Wheeler (eight goals, 30 assists).
St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Jets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Power-play opportunities may be key in this matchup. The Blues are 11-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 14-9 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Jets are 8-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 9-7 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- The over has hit in four of Winnipeg’s last five outings.
- Winnipeg is ranked 13th this season with 9.4 giveaways per game. That figure has improved lately, however, as it’s averaged 8.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 7.8 giveaways over its last five.
- One of the best teams when it comes to possessing the puck, St. Louis is ranked first this season with just 4.8 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as the teams averaged 3.9 giveaways over its last 10 games and 3.6 giveaways over its last five.
- St. Louis skaters have given out the leagues 10th-most hits per game (23.3).
