Two of the top teams in the Western Conference go to battle on Thursday evening when the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Winnipeg Jets. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 PM ET at Canada Life Centre. Vegas is coming off a tough overtime loss to the Nashville Predators and currently sits in a wild-card spot with three weeks left in the season. As for Winnipeg, they’ve lost four in a row but still remain in a playoff spot in the Central Division. This should be an entertaining matchup between a pair of clubs in the postseason mix. Continue reading for the Golden Knights vs Jets picks.
Before diving into the NHL picks, check out our top hockey betting sites and the Vegas odds for the NHL in the 2023-24 season.
The Jets are a -130 favorite for an implied win probability of 56.52%. The Golden Knights come back at +110 and have a 47.62% chance of taking this one. If you bet $50 on Winnipeg you’d make $38.50 in profit. A $50 wager on Vegas earns you a $55 profit. The Golden Knights are riding a five-game winning streak against the Jets.
As the reigning Stanley Cup champions, there is always going to be a target on your back. That’s very much been the case for Vegas, who aren’t the same dominant figure as last season. They’re currently occupying the final Wild Card spot in the West, compiling a 39-25-8 record. The Golden Knights are six points clear of the St. Louis Blues, who are chasing them. Bruce Cassidy’s squad is 6-3-1 in their last 10 outings and just dropped a heartbreaker to the Preds, the team above them in the Wild Card.
Vegas came out of the gates firing, scoring three times in the first period. But, they eventually coughed up the lead, with Nashville tying things up late in the third period at four apiece before Roman Josi scored the winner in OT. Typically a strong defensive team, the Golden Knights collapsed in a big way here. This was definitely a game they would’ve liked to win. Offensively, William Karlsson had a goal and an assist to lead the way.
The Golden Knights have a very nice core that led them to a title a year ago. Jonathan Marchessault has a team-best 62 points, while Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Karlsson, and Chandler Stephenson are all consistent contributors, too. Although Vegas is only 14th in the league in scoring, this group has tremendous experience and all played their part in the Cup. Wild Card or not, Vegas cannot be overlooked come playoff time.
While Winnipeg is still a playoff team out of the Central, they need to figure it out in a hurry. A four-game skid at this point in the season is far from ideal. The Jets were beaten by the Devils, Islanders, Capitals, and most recently, the Oilers on Tuesday in overtime. Winnipeg made a comeback in the third to tie things up and force an extra period but it didn’t last long as Zach Hyman scored early.
Brenden Dillon, Sean Monahan, and Mason Appleton got on the scoresheet for the Jets, who aren’t exactly an offensive powerhouse. Rick Bowness’ squad ranks 17th in scoring with only 3.07 goals per night. Mark Scheifele is their best player, scoring 22 goals and assisting 42 in 2023-24. They need him to get hot though, tallying only two points in his last four appearances. Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Monahan are three others who consistently put up numbers.
Winnipeg just started a five-game homestand, which could wake them up. The Jets own a 23-9-3 record at Canada Life Centre. The Senators, Kings, and Flames are up next after Vegas visits. With the Preds just four points behind Winnipeg in the Central for the final playoff berth, they must figure it out and start winning some hockey games. That starts on Thursday.
Between Winnipeg’s cold streak and the Golden Knights’ dominance of the Jets in recent memory, I have to go with the underdog here. Lock in the Vegas moneyline.
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