It’s just a three-game slate across the NHL on Wednesday, February 22nd, but out in Belmont Park, we have an intriguing matchup between the Winnipeg Jets (35-21-1) and the New York Islanders (29-24-7), two teams in the playoff race. The puck drops at 7 PM ET at UBS Arena. Winnipeg is coming off a big 4-1 win in the Big Apple against the New York Rangers on Monday, while the Isles grabbed a massive win in the Wild Card race over the Pittsburgh Penguins that same day. Keep reading for the Jets vs Islanders prediction.
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Surprisingly, the Islanders are the favorite here with -113 odds at BetOnline, while the Jets, who are much better in terms of their record, come back at +102. However, there is a good reason for this. New York has absolutely dominated Winnipeg in recent memory, winning five straight meetings. They’ll look to make it six.
The Jets are one of the best teams in the NHL this season, currently occupying third place in the always-competitive Western Conference. In fact, Winnipeg is just one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who sit in first. That being said, the Jets aren’t exactly playing great hockey in recent weeks, going just 5-5 in their last 10 outings. With just six points separating them and eighth-place Minnesota, they have to start playing more consistent hockey down the stretch.
On a more positive note, Rick Bowness’ group did end a two-game losing skid Monday with a statement win over a very good Rangers team at Madison Square Garden. Connor Hellebuyck was the real star of the show here, making a mind-boggling 50 saves in between the posts to keep NY at bay. Offensively, Mark Scheifele scored goals 33 and 34 of the season, while Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois both found the back of the net as well. Hopefully, the Jets can carry the momentum into this matchup with the Isles, who have been a tough team for them to beat.
The Isles were dealt a crushing blow before game-time on Monday when superstar Matthew Barzal was ruled out for the foreseeable future with a lower-body injury that happened on Saturday against the Bruins. After all, he is one of the leaders for this club. But, NY didn’t let Barzal’s absence affect them for a big clash with the Pens, who are right on their heels in the East Wild Card. Thanks to a massive third period where they scored three unanswered, the Islanders prevailed, 4-2. Brock Nelson stepped up in a big way with two goals, while newcomer Bo Horvat also scored and tallied an assist. These two need to keep producing on a nightly basis if NY is going to stay afloat until Barzal is back in the mix.
With the victory, Lane Lambert’s squad is now 6-2-2 in their last ten games and actually leads the Wild Card for the time being, sitting a point above the Florida Panthers. And although the Jets are a tough out for basically anyone, the Isles will be marching into this contest with their heads held high. After all, they’ve outscored Winnipeg 14-4 across the previous four meetings. Also, New York is 17-10-3 at home this season.
It’s hard to look past history. Although I’d likely take the Jets to finally end the skid against the Isles if they were red-hot, that’s not the case. Lock in the New York moneyline.
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