NHL Odds, Preview & Predictions for Canucks vs. Jets

Canucks vs. Jets Odds

The Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks meet on Thursday evening for their second game in as many weeks. Winnipeg got the best of Vancouver in the previous meeting on Dec. 17, winning by the score of 5-1 on the road.

Since then, the teams have trended in opposite directions.

The Jets enter today's matchup on a three-game losing streak. Opponents have outscored Winnipeg 11-4 during that timespan. In contrast, the Canucks come into this contest on a three-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 16-9 in those contests.

Winnipeg is missing some key players, which is one of the main reasons why the team has struggled to score recently. Vancouver will look to capitalize on that to extend its winning streak.

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Vancouver Canucks

Not only are the Canucks on a three-game winning streak, but moreover Quinn Hughes' scoring breakthrough has added another dose of encouragement.

Hughes is Vancouver's most important player on the blue line, and he has been playing very well to this point of the season.

Still, he simply has not been able to find the back of the net — that is, until Hughes finally scored his first goal of the season in the Canucks' most recent game. Now, Hughes has one goal and 28 assists in 30 games.

Aside from Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat have been carrying the Canucks. Pettersson enters Thursday's game with season totals of 16 goals and 26 assists in 32 games.

Meanwhile, Horvat has exploded offensively and is tied for second in the NHL with 26 goals scored. He has four goals and four assists in his last two games.

The Canucks average 3.47 goals per game, which ranks seventh in the NHL. They also have the eighth-best man advantage unit, converting at a rate of 26.3%.

The Canucks are heating up, and they are out for revenge in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have had an amazing start to the season, but injuries have significantly impacted the roster.

The Jets injury list includes notable players such as Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers and Nate Schmidt. Notwithstanding those losses, the good news is that Connor Hellebuyck is back in goal.

Still, it is fair to temper expectations regarding Hellebuyck's impact . He didn't have his best performance in the team's most recent game at home against the Minnesota Wild. Hellebuyck allowed three goals on 27 shots in Winnipeg's 4-1 loss.

The Jets offense has been mediocre, averaging 3.20 goals per game, which actually outperforms the team's 3.13 xGF/60. Even more surprisingly, Winnipeg's scoring leader is a defenseman — Josh Morrissey — who has six goals and 34 assists in 35 games.

Kyle Connor (15 goals, 24 assists) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (16 goals, 22 assists) are right there with Morrissey, but the team as a whole is struggling. Nevertheless, Winnipeg is not necessarily playing poorly during the team's recent stretch of games. Rather, the pucks simply aren't going in the net.

The Jets should put up a good fight tonight, but it may be tough against a Canucks team that is soaring.

Canucks vs. Jets Pick

It looks like Spencer Martin will get the nod in goal for the Canucks. Even though Martin's numbers aren't outstanding, he is still helping his team win games.

Martin enters Thursday's game with a record of 11-5-1, save percentage of .886, and 3.57 goals against average. That being said, his teammates are bailing him out by scoring a ton of goals.

The Canucks have scored 16 goals in their last three games, and only two of those goals have come on the power play — meaning that they are absolutely buzzing at even strength.

The last time these teams played, the Jets embarrassed Vancouver at home. Now, the Canucks have an opportunity to return the favor to Winnipeg.

I like the Canucks in this spot.

Pick: Canucks ML +125 or better

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