Jets vs. Wild Odds & Preview | NHL Prediction (November 23)

Jets vs. Wild Odds

After winning in overtime against the Hurricanes, the Winnipeg Jets travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild. The Jets have fared well of late, going 6-2 in November.

The Wild haven’t had the same luck and are 4-4-1 this month. However, they’re coming off a very emotional overtime win in which veteran Alex Goligoski came up big.

Can Winnipeg stay hot, or will the Wild’s win on Saturday catapult them back into excellence?

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Winnipeg Jets

Even after a few years of being fairly average, I’ve always thought Winnipeg had an incredibly talented team. It's fascinating that defenseman Josh Morrissey is leading team in scoring, averaging over a point per game while Pierre-Luc Dubois isn’t far behind. Perennial goal scorers Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele aren’t far behind, but they should be having better seasons. I expect them to light it up as the season progresses.

The Jets have been just OK this year on offense at even strength. They rank 18th with an expected goals rate of 49.26 xGF% and average about nine and a half high danger chances per game. Having the man advantage has produced decent results as the Jets are scoring at a 20.4% rate.

While Winnipeg’s even strength defense has been OK at best, its penalty kill has been exceptional. The Jets are playing to the 16th-best 2.69 xGA/60 and a third-best 85% success rate on the PK.

I can definitely see Connor Hellebuyck starting since David Rittich took the win this past Monday. The former Vezina winner has found himself in elite territory, playing to a +11.3 goals saved above expected (GSAx) and a .935 SV%. He’s always been exceptional, but Hellebuyck is playing out of his mind to start the year.

Minnesota Wild

There’s certainly a lot to like about this Minnesota Wild team. Loaded with gritty players, along with young studs and quality veterans, I can see the Wild becoming a force to be reckoned with. Kirill Kaprizov is one of the more exciting players and has formed great chemistry with Mats Zuccarello. Matt Boldy is proving to be a future star in this league and Joel Eriksson Ek is back to his old ways, averaging more than half a point per game.

Similar to their opponents, the Wild are toward the middle in 5-on-5 offense. They play to a 49.88 xGF%, but only average close to eight and a half high danger chances per game, which is sixth worst. Their power play is decent and scoring at a 20.3% pace, but I think they can be better.

The defensive side is where Minnesota shines. It’s playing to a fifth-best 2.35 xGF% and has a solid penalty kill with an 80.3% success rate.

With Marc-Andre Fleury out with injury, I’d expect Filip Gustavsson to take the crease for a third straight game. The Swedish netminder is having a solid season as a backup, playing to a -1.2 GSAx and a .906 SV%. He’s been a pretty stable force this season, outside of the clunker he put up against Pittsburgh.

Jets vs. Wild Pick

This battle of the Midwest rivals is always a fun one to watch, especially since both teams are coming off heated victories. Winnipeg has found itself in overtime a decent amount of times this month, so the Wild are too unpredictable to bet on the 3-way line.

Despite the fact that the Jets are above the Wild in the standings, these teams are pretty even. The two advantages that they have over Minnesota are goaltending and penalty kill. Hellebuyck has been a stone wall all season and Gustavsson is not established enough to trust, especially against the likes of Connor, Dubois and Scheifele.

I need to see more out of the Wild before I can trust them. Last season, they were pretty dominant, but now it’s hard to tell. That's why I’m backing the Jets to take this game.

Pick: Winnipeg Moneyline

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