Face-off: 1900 ET, 15/04/2022
Arena: FLA Live Arena
Florida Panthers go hunting for a ninth straight victory which will cut Colorado Avalanche’s lead back down to two points at the top of the NHL standings.
The Panthers also hold a six-point advantage in the Eastern Conference while the Jets are eight points out of a play-off spot and should be refreshed having not played since Monday.
But the Panthers are dominant on home ice (31-6-0) and can improve that record with a win by three goals at 4.60 in the first of our Florida Panthers vs Winnipeg Jets predictions.
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Florida Panthers Odds
The Panthers hold an eight-point cushion over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the top of the Atlantic Division with just nine games remaining.
And they are six points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand in the battle for the top seed in the east.
Left wing and Hart Trophy candidate Jonathan Huberdeau is leading the charge with 105 points, good enough for second in NHL scoring, and he is on a league-best 12-game active point streak, scoring 21 in total in that stretch.
The Panthers have threats all over the ice with Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Anthony Duclair, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett all having scored at least 20 goals this season.
Huberdeau scored the overtime winner in Tuesday’s win over the Anaheim Ducks and the 28-year-old felt the whole line-up turned up to play and more will be needed to nail down top spot.
“I thought we played well,” Huberdeau said. “We ran into a hot goalie who was playing well. We had a lot of shots. I think throughout the line-up we played well.
“We had a check mentality. Obviously sometimes a little fancy but I feel like overall it was a pretty good game. That’s our team. We came out with a huge win.”
The Panthers have netted at least four times in seven of their eight-game winning streak and looking at the NHL odds, it is 1.57 for them to at hit that target again.
Winnipeg Jets Odds
The Jets are looking for a third straight win as they try and catch Dallas Stars for the last wildcard place in the Western Conference.
Time is running out for Winnipeg, though, and they have just eight games left to reel in an eight-point deficit.
Winnipeg’s midweek game against the Seattle Kraken was postponed due to the inclement weather and that has given them time to recharge their batteries before getting back on the ice.
Morgan Barron had a goal and an assist in the 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday and has urged his team to keep the run going.
“We need to win a lot of games down the stretch if we want to get into the [Stanley Cup Playoffs],” Barron said.
“I think everyone’s mindset is still getting in and going on a run here. So we’re taking it one game at a time, but just to come out with two points in a game like that, it’s huge for us.”
Winnipeg coach Dave Lowry echoed those sentiments.
“We’re in desperation mode right now and it would be no different if we were in a playoff series and we were going back-to-back,” he said.
“That was the conversation we had and understanding we have to win every game here and just take care of business each and every night.”
We can expect an open game so a Florida win with over 6.5 goals at 2.35 is added to our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
FLORIDA 3-2 Anaheim (OT)
Montreal 2-4 WINNIPEG
Head-to-head: Winnipeg 3-5 Florida
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