NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Jets vs Avalanche (Saturday, April 13)
(Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) Pictured: Connor Hellebuyck
Jets vs Avalanche Odds
| Jets Odds | +125 |
| Avalanche Odds | -150 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -105o /-115u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Winnipeg Jets vs Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, April 13 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
With less than a week to go in the regular season, this is looking a lot like a first-round preview from the Central Division. The Jets and the Avalanche are tied with 104 points. Each has three games to go, though Winnipeg holds the tiebreaker by virtue of two additional regulation wins.
The Jets are also red hot and the Avalanche are expected to welcome top-line anchor Mikko Rantanen back to the lineup.
Check out my Jets vs Avalanche prediction to find out why it's worth backing the road 'dogs to prevail.
After stumbling through the second half of March, the Jets have surged in April. Their 3-0 road win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday was their fifth straight.
Front and center, of course, is Connor Hellebuyck in net. He leads the league by a wide margin with 31.4 goals saved above expected and his .920 save percentage is tops among goalies with more than 30 starts.
Winnipeg has the best 5-on-5 team save percentage in the league (93.68%), even though the puck possession game for Rick Bowness’ crew is just above the middle of the pack, at 51.27%. That shows how impactful the goaltending has been.
Over the full season, special teams have been below average, but they’ve been better during this winning streak, with the power play going 3-for-12. Meanwhile, the penalty kill has gone 10-for-12 (83.3%).
All told, Winnipeg has outscored its opponents 20-10 over the past five games.
Just one injury to note: Nino Niederreiter suffered a cut to the back of his leg on April 1. He's with the team on the road trip, but has been ruled out for Saturday.
It has been all smiles around Winnipeg, but the recent road for the Avalanche has been rockier. Though they’re closing out a three-game homestand, they’ve lost three of their past five. Alexandar Georgiev gave up six goals to both Edmonton and Dallas in the past week, before he righted the ship in a 5-2 win over Minnesota on Tuesday.
That being said, Colorado will be the better-rested side and will enjoy home-ice advantage, which has led to a 30-8-1 record at Ball Arena this season.
Georgiev boasts an .899 save percentage and 7.9 goals saved above expected on the season.
Rookie Justus Annunen has delivered some good starts down the stretch, and while Jared Bednar has made it clear that Georgiev will be his man for Game 1 of the playoffs, the Avalanche are in a back-to-back situation this weekend, with another big game on Sunday in Vegas.
Bednar said Friday that his goalies will split the starts, but didn’t tip his hand as to who who would play which game. If it’s Annunen, he’s at 7-4-1 on the season with a .931 save percentage and 9.9 goals saved above expected.
On the season, the Avalanche rank not far ahead of the Jets, with a 5-on-5 expected goals share of 51.94%. For the most part, they’ve been able to overcome their goaltending issues as the league’s top-scoring team (3.74 goals per game) and are led by Nathan MacKinnon’s 51 goals and 137 points. MacKinnon’s lengthy home point streak this season has been well documented, and 87 of his points have come at Ball Arena.
Jets vs. Avalanche
Betting Pick & Prediction
The two earlier meetings between these teams this season took place over a nine-day span in December. The Jets prevailed in both, 4-2 and 6-2, but are still coming into this game as significant underdogs.
The idea of backing Winnipeg to complete a season sweep against a dominant home-ice squad like Colorado is a bit daunting and the Jets looked as sharp as any team in the league when they took down the Stars in Dallas on Thursday. They also have a well-rested, motivated probable Vezina Trophy winner set to step between the pipes.
Pick: Jets Moneyline (+130 at Caesars) | Play to +120
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