NHL Odds & Prediction: Ducks vs Jets Preview (Friday, March 15)
Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Laurent Brossoit.
Ducks vs Jets Odds
| Ducks Odds | +350 |
| Jets Odds | -450 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -120 / +100 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets on Friday, March 15 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
This is about as big of a mismatch as you can get, especially with Anaheim playing on the road for the second straight night and the third time in four days.
Of course, that makes the potential reward for taking the Ducks all the greater, so is there any merit to indulging in that bet? Let's examine Ducks vs Jets odds and offer a Ducks vs Jets prediction.
Anaheim already had one of the worst offensives in the league when they dealt Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to Edmonton on March 6. He had 18 goals and 42 points in 60 contests this season, which is still good for third place on the Ducks' leaderboard, behind only Troy Terry (17 GOALS, 46 points) and Frank Vatrano (29 goals, 50 points).
Anaheim has managed just seven goals in five games since the trade, dragging down its season average to 2.55 goals per contest, which ranks 30th in the league.
It certainly doesn't help that Trevor Zegras remains shelved with an ankle injury, but realistically this would still be a bottom-tier offense even if he was healthy.
If there's any silver lining, it's that they've actually done slightly above average (2.63 goals per game) while playing in the second half of a back-to-back, so playing on no rest might not hurt them too much from a scoring perspective.
Similarly, the Ducks have averaged 2.72 goals per game on the road, so the venue of this contest isn't likely to hinder them.
One thing that is expected to be impacted by playing for the second straight night is the goaltending. Lukas Dostal was deployed Thursday, and the Ducks wasted a strong effort by him. He saved 29 of 31 shots, but Anaheim fired just 16 on Marc-Andre Fleury en route to a 2-0 loss to the Wild.
That leaves John Gibson for the Jets. Gibson has allowed six goals in each of his last two starts and has been on a downward trend for a while, posting a 6-8-2 record, 4.01 GAA and .874 save percentage across his last 18 appearances.
Barring a major reversal, Gibson would likely need significant goal support to win tonight, which Anaheim's offense seems ill-equipped to give.
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To be fair, Winnipeg's offense is not overwhelming, so this isn't the worst of possible matchups for Gibson.
The Jets rank 18th offensively with 3.05 goals per game. Granted, the Jets added Sean Monahan from Montreal on February 2 and Tyler Toffoli from New Jersey on March 8, which has significantly upgraded the Jets' forward corps, but those upgrades are currently being partially mitigated by the absence of Gabriel Vilardi (upper-body).
Making matters worse, Mark Scheifele (illness) is questionable for Friday's contest.
Rather than offense, goaltending has been the key to Winnipeg's 41-19-5 record. Connor Hellebuyck has been the cornerstone of that with a 30-15-3 record, 2.33 GAA and .921 save percentage through 48 appearances this season.
But Laurent Brossoit, who is set to get the assignment tonight, has been just as effective, posting an 11-4-2 record, 2.11 GAA and .924 save percentage in 17 games. Brossoit also started against the Ducks on January 5 — saving 37 of 38 shots en route to a 3-1 victory, so he has some recent success against Anaheim to pull from.
The fact that this game will be played in Winnipeg helps a bit too. While it's true that the Ducks' offense isn't any worse on the road, the Jets' impressive 2.47 goals allowed per game (second in the NHL) improves to a league-leading 2.33 at home, so it's going to be hard for the Ducks to get much going tonight.
Ducks vs. Jets
Betting Pick & Prediction
The odds are so heavily stacked in Winnipeg's favor that even taking the Jets on the puck line where the spread is 1.5 goals in Anaheim's favor, doesn't offer a particularly compelling return.
Instead, I recommend taking the under at 5.5 goals.
The Jets don't have the best of the two offenses, even after their trade additions, and the absence of Vilardi in addition to possibly missing Scheifele hurts.
On the other end of the ice, I don't expect Anaheim's cold and trade-depleted offense to accomplish much against Brossoit.
If you want something a little safer, some sportsbooks (for example, BetRivers) are listing the over/under at 6 instead, but with a mildly reduced potential return.
I'd rather pick something a touch riskier by taking under 5.5 at better odds, but the alternative is available if that appeals to you.
Pick: Under 5.5 (+105 | Play to -105)
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