In this article we will formulate a Blues vs Jets prediction for this NHL game on Thursday, April 24th at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this NHL matchup in the 1st round of the playoffs.
St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
The St. Louis Blues are down 2-0 in the series coming into this game and they desperately need to pick up a win here. St. Louis has lost the first two games in this series by scores of 5-3 and 2-1. In the game two loss, the Blues tied the game at one with two seconds left in the first period, but they allowed a goal early in the third and couldn’t find the tying goal late. The Blues recorded 22 shots on goal, won 46.3% of the face-offs, and went 1-4 on the power play in the game. St. Louis got their lone goal from Snuggerud, while Binnington stopped 20 out of 22 shots in the game.
Prior to this series, the Blues defeated the Hockey Club by a score of 6-1, but did lose to the Kraken by a score of 4-3 before that. St. Louis has lost five of their last six games and they finished fifth in the Central standings with 96 points. St. Louis has scored 3.05 goals per game and they have allowed 2.82 goals against per game, while also going 22.1% on the power play and 74.3% on the penalty kill this season. Cam Fowler, Justin Faulk, and Pavel Buchnevich have led St. Louis with two points each in the series. Jordan Binnington is 0-2-0 with a 3.10 goals against average and an .872 save percentage this postseason.
Winnipeg Jets Betting Preview
The Winnipeg Jets are up 2-0 in the series and they are looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead with a win here. In their game two win, Winnipeg scored once in the first period to take the lead, but needed a goal in the third to seal the win. The Jets recorded 22 shots on goal, won 53.7% of the face-offs, and went 0-2 on the power play in the game. Winnipeg got goals from Connor and Scheifele, while Hellebuyck stopped 21 out of 22 shots in the game.
Prior to this series, the Jets defeated the Ducks by a score of 2-1, but did lose to the Oilers by a score of 4-1 before that. Winnipeg has won six of their last seven games and they finished first in the Central standings with 116 points. Winnipeg has scored 3.35 goals per game and they have allowed 2.32 goals against per game, while also going 28.9% on the power play and 79.4% on the penalty kill this season. Mark Scheifele has led Winnipeg with two goals, three assists, and four shots on goal this postseason, while Kyle Connor has added two goals, two assists, and seven shots on goal. Connor Hellebuyck is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and an .897 save percentage in the series.
Why the Jets will beat the Blues
- The Jets have won each of their last 13 games as road favorites following a home win.
- The Blues have lost five of their last six games.
- The Jets have covered the puck line in five of their last six road games against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Jets have won the second period in each of their last six games when leading after the first period.
Total Goals Facts
- Thirteen of the Jets’ last 14 night games against opponents on a losing streak have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Four of the Blues’ last five games have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Eight of the last nine Thursday night games have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Blues’ last nine home games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Jets’ last eight games as road favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
St. Louis Blues Player Prop Facts
- Jordan Kyrou has scored at least one goal in five of the Blues’ last six home games.
- Zachary Bolduc has recorded at least one point in each of the Blues’ last eight home games against Western Conference opponents.
- Robert Thomas has recorded at least one assist in 14 of the Blues’ last 15 night games at Enterprise Center.
- Zachary Bolduc ranks 1st amongst rookies for Plus/Minus (+20) this season.
Winnipeg Jets Player Prop Facts
- Kyle Connor has scored at least one goal in each of the Jets’ last four games against Central Division opponents.
- Mark Scheifele has recorded at least one assist in each of the Jets’ last four night playoff games.
- Mark Scheifele has recorded at least one point in each of the Jets’ last six night playoff games.
- Mark Scheifele ranks T1st in the league for Game Winning Goals (11) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The St. Louis Blues rank 28th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (74.21%).
- The St. Louis Blues rank T2nd in the league for Period 2 goals allowed per game this season (0.79).
- The Winnipeg Jets rank 1st in the league for goals against per game this season (2.32).
- The Winnipeg Jets rank 1st in the league in power play percentage this season (28.90%).
Blues vs Jets Prediction
St. Louis has been able to play Winnipeg very tough in the first two games of this series, but they are down 2-0 and absolutely need a win here. The Blues are 24-14-3 at home this year, while the Jets are 26-15-0 on the road. Winnipeg has played very well in the third period of both games in this series and I think their defense + goaltending is a perfect unit to take on the road. I expect a strong start from St. Louis, but I think Winnipeg wins the third period once again to get the win.