Face-off: 1600 ET, 19/02/2022
Arena: Canada Life Centre
Winnipeg have breathed new life back into their post-season hopes with back-to-back victories over Minnesota and Seattle but face a stiff test versus Edmonton.
The Oilers’ coaching change has done wonders to get their stuttering campaign back on track and they have now won four straight under Jay Woodcroft.
Edmonton have built up some momentum that has propelled them into the top three of the Pacific Division and there is reason to think that hot streak will continue.
We’re going with 2.9 for an away victory by more than one clear goal in the first of our Winnipeg Jets vs Edmonton Oilers predictions.
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Winnipeg Jets Odds
Winnipeg now lie five points adrift of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
They have won four of their last six games – and took a point in one of the others from an overtime loss in Dallas – to get right back into contention.
Kyle Connor has been key to that success with five goals and 11 points over the last eight games and will be relied upon if the Jets are to force their way into the play-off picture.
Mark Scheifele, who hit a hat-trick in the win over the Wild and has seven goals in his last six games, is another key figure.
Defenceman Josh Morrissey is acutely aware of the situation the Jets are in heading down the stretch.
He said: “We know where we’re at in the standings and we need points and wins right now.”
Jets captain Blake Wheeler is another stand-out in Winnipeg’s run of form and has recorded 12 points in six games, including four against the Wild and five in the 5-2 win over Nashville.
Wheeler is just happy to contribute towards Winnipeg’s success and is unconcerned with personal accolades.
He commented: “I just have a lot of confidence in the guys I play with. It’s about contributing to wins and that’s what feels good.
“Ultimately, if you’re productive and you’re losing, what does it matter? It’s nice to play well when the team’s playing well.”
The Jets have not won the first period in nine of their last 10 games on home ice, though.
So, with plenty of offence in both lockers, Edmonton to win the opening stanza with both teams scoring offers value at 9.0 from the NHL odds.
Edmonton Oilers Odds
Woodcroft has reinvigorated Edmonton with four wins out of four and seven in the last 10 has lifted them to within five points of the Pacific Division lead.
Star centre Connor McDavid has scored seven points in the four games of Woodcroft’s reign to take him to 68 in 47 matches.
Fellow elite forward Leon Draisaitl scored two goals in a 7-3 win over Anaheim after failing to find the net through Woodcroft’s first three fixtures.
The Oilers have offensive talent in abundance but it is at the other end of the rink where their main issues lie.
Goaltender Mike Smith has only played 634 minutes as he has battled injuries but he has won his last three starts under Woodcroft with an impressive save percentage of .940.
Edmonton will hope he can maintain that level over the back-end of the season.
Woodcroft liked how his side did not panic after going down 2-0 early on to the Ducks and feels that character will stand them in good stead.
He said: “I really liked how calm our bench was, how they showed a little bit of pushback and resilience, and we found a big goal at the end of the first period.
“Then, we took that into the second period. It was a good response from our group, not hanging our heads down 2-0.”
There is plenty of offence on show and 3.6 for an Oilers win with over 6.5 goals is another of our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
WINNIPEG 5-3 Seattle
EDMONTON 7-3 Anaheim
Head-to-head: Edmonton 2-1 Winnipeg, Winnipeg 5-2 Edmonton
