Kings vs. Jets NHL Odds, Picks, Predictions: Thriving Goaltenders Give Over/Under Value (April 2)
Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Connor Hellebuyck.
- The Jets are slight home favorites against the Kings on Saturday night.
- With a pair of strong goaltenders, the value on this matchup is on the total.
- Continue reading for a full breakdown of this matchup, including a betting prediction.
Kings vs. Jets Odds
| Kings Odds | +105 |
| Jets Odds | -125 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-110/-110) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Pacific Division's second-place Los Angeles Kings travel to Winnipeg to take on the Central Division's sixth-place Jets. This is the third meeting between these two teams this season, with the Jets having won each of the prior two matchups 3-2.
Will we get another low-scoring affair between these two teams, or will the goal-scoring pickup?
Don't Expect High-Scoring Kings Games
The Los Angeles Kings end their three-game road trip against Winnipeg following Thursday night's 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames. Thursday's game was yet another low-scoring game for the Kings, who have now seen six or fewer total goals scored in seven of their last 11 games.
Cal Petersen was excellent against Calgary and is projected to start once again against the Jets. Petersen has allowed two or fewer goals in three of his last five starts, with six or fewer total goals (the total for this game) scored in four of those five games.
Like it has been all season, the Los Angeles defense in front of Petersen has been solid lately. This season, the Kings rank 12th in the league in five-on-five expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA).
Los Angeles' offense has not been anything special recently as they are averaging just 2.8 goals scored per game over their last five contests. The Kings are also extremely banged up currently as Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Andreas Athanasiou are just a few names amongst many more that are expected to miss this game.
Winnipeg Jets
Much like the Kings, the Winnipeg Jets enter this contest following some low-scoring games. Over their last three games, two have gone under six total goals scored.
The main factor for the lack of scoring from Winnipeg is due to the loss of leading goalscorer Kyle Connor, who remains out of the lineup due to COVID. Winnipeg has scored just three goals in each of the two games without Connor and is averaging just 2.8 goals scored per game over their last five contests.
Connor Hellebuyck has also seemed to get his rhythm back recently following a slew of poor outings in net. This game's projected starting goaltender, Hellebuyck has allowed two or fewer goals in three of his last four starts.
Over those four starts, Hellebuyck boasts an impeccable 0.950 save percentage. This season as a whole, Hellebuyck ranks 12th amongst starting goaltenders in five-on-five goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx).
Kings vs. Jets Pick
Both of the first two outings between these two teams this season saw five total goals scored, and I expect this one to go under six once again. In fact, this matchup has seen six or fewer total goals scored in eight of the last nine meetings.
With two goaltenders playing good hockey and two lineups missing important guys, I like this game to finish under six goals.
Pick: Under 6 (-110) | Play up to (-125)
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