NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Jets vs Coyotes (Sunday, January 7)
(Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images). Pictured: Connor Hellebuyck.
Jets vs. Coyotes Odds
| Jets Odds | -137 |
| Coyotes Odds | +114 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -124o / +102u |
Going into training camp, the Winnipeg Jets looked like a franchise teetering on the brink of a rebuild. But now they stand atop the NHL standings with a 25-9-4 record and will have the chance to extend their winning streak to six games against the Arizona Coyotes.
I'll examine Winnipeg's chances of rolling past Arizona, which is having a solid campaign in its own right, while offering a Jets vs. Coyotes prediction.
The issue with the Jets going into the campaign was uncertainty about the future. They were a middling 46-33-3 last year en route to a first-round exit, and it seemed Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck might be ready to leave as unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2025. Instead, both inked long-term contracts just before the campaign began and then the duo reminded Jets fans why they're so important.
Scheifele is once again the centerpiece of Winnipeg's offense, providing 12 goals and a team-leading 38 points through 38 contests. He's been especially important as the Jets try to proceed without Kyle Connor (knee), who last played Dec. 10.
Scheifele hasn't had to do it alone, though. Since the Jets lost Connor, different players have stepped up to help fill the void. First, it was Gabriel Vilardi, who provided six goals and 12 points in five outings through Dec. 13-22. More recently, Vladislav Namestnikov has supplied a goal and seven points over the past five contests. That strong supporting cast has allowed Winnipeg to rank 12th offensively this year with 3.32 goals per game despite Scheifele and defenseman Josh Morrissey being the only members of the team with at least 30 points.
However, Hellebuyck, not the offense, is at the heart of Winnipeg's success. The 30-year-old goaltender is a strong Vezina Trophy contender with a 19-6-3 record, 2.28 GAA and .921 save percentage in 28 outings this campaign. Over his last 16 contests, he has surrendered no more than three goals. He didn't play during Friday's 3-1 win against Anaheim, so Arizona will almost certainly be forced to face the elite goaltender.
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Arizona did manage to score three goals against Hellebuyck on Nov. 4. The Coyotes didn't win that game, but you have to grasp at straws to find reasons why Arizona might find success against the Jets goaltender. Arizona's 2.97 goals per game, which ranks 23rd in the NHL, certainly doesn't inspire confidence on its own. The Coyotes have also scored just two goals over their last two games, so they're going into this contest cold.
It seems wishful to expect the Coyotes to get much past Hellebuyck, so they'll have to hope their own goaltending can measure up against Winnipeg's strong offense. They do rank 11th defensively with 2.92 goals allowed per contest, but that's because netminder Connor Ingram is having a solid campaign with a 13-8-0 record, 2.61 GAA and .916 save percentage in 23 appearances. However, Karel Vejmelka is expected to start Sunday, per Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports.
Ingram is capable of making his team look better than it is, with a Goals Saved Above Expected of 9.8. Vejmelka doesn't have the same edge, posting a 6-8-2 record, 3.01 GAA and .903 save percentage in 17 outings this season.
Jets vs. Coyotes
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Coyotes aren't actually regarded as significant underdogs by oddsmakers, partially because the game is in Arizona, but also because they're genuinely not a bad team.
However, Arizona is a team that wins on the strength of its goaltender, but now will match up against a team with a better goaltender and a solid offense — something the Coyotes lack. Even had Ingram been tapped as the starter, I would have recommended taking advantage of Winnipeg not being rated too heavily in the favorites column. The fact that Vejmelka is set to start makes me feel even better about that choice.
Pick: Jets -137 (Play to -145)
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