The Winnipeg Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet in NHL action from the PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night. Who emerges victorious in this inter-conference showdown? Let’s dive in and find out with our Jets vs. Penguins Prediction.
Winnipeg Jets Team Preview
The Winnipeg Jets come into this one looking to Mark Scheifele has a team-high 41 points with 14 goals and 27 assists while Kyle Connor has 29 points with a team-high 18 goals and 11 assists. Josh Morrissey has 34 points with 27 assists of his own while Nikolaj Ehlers has 35 points with 16 goals and 19 assists and Cole Perfetti also has 30 points with 14 goals and 16 assists. Nino Niederreiter also has 25 points with 12 goals this season. Connor Hellebuyck has gone 23-9-3 with a 2.20 GAA and an .924 save percentage in goal for Winnipeg while Laurent Brossoit is 7-3-2 with a 2.07 GAA and an .926 save percentage this season. The Jets will face the Flyers after this game.
Winnipeg Jets Team Facts
- The Jets have won four of their last six games as underdogs.
- The Jets have covered the puck line in six of their last seven games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Jets have won the first period in each of their last seven games against the Penguins following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Jets’ last five night games at PPG Paints Arena.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this one looking to build on a 3-2 OT win over Montreal in their last matchup. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 50 points including a team-high 27 goals while Jake Guentzel has 49 points with 22 goals and 27 assists. Evgeni Malkin has 40 points with 16 goals and 24 assists while Erik Karlsson’s added 34 points with 27 assists and Kris Letang has 29 points of his own with 26 assists this season. Tristan Jarry has gone 13-14-4 with a 2.53 GAA and a .913 save percentage while Alex Nedeljkovic has an 8-3-3 record with a 2.60 GAA and a .918 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts
- The Penguins have lost seven of their last eight games as home favorites following a home win.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine games as home favorites following a home win.
- The Penguins have won the second period in seven of their last eight games as favorites following an overtime win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in eight of the Penguins’ last nine games against opponents on a losing streak.
Jets vs. Penguins Prediction
I’m on the Winnipeg Jets here. Pittsburgh is a solid team and this is the time of the year where a veteran team like the Penguins get their act together and make a postseason push. However, despite some hiccups before the break, the Winnipeg Jets have still been one of the most consistent teams in the NHL albeit doing so extremely quietly. The Pens are still far too inconsistent for my liking to feel comfortable trusting them in any way, shape or form in a coin flip spot like this against a clearly superior Jets team. Give me Winnipeg.