Face-off: 1900 ET, 02/04/2022
Arena: Canada Life Centre
Winnipeg and Los Angeles have both been fighting for every point to boost their post-season prospects and more of the same is anticipated here.
The Jets are only just off the pace with regards to a wild card spot, while the Kings are going along nicely in second in the Pacific Division.
It would be no surprise to see these teams locked in a stalemate after 60 minutes, so 4.2 for a draw heads our Winnipeg Jets vs Los Angeles Kings predictions.
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Winnipeg Jets Odds
Winnipeg can be forgiven for going down 7-3 at Toronto on Thursday following a hard-fought shootout victory at Buffalo the night before.
The Jets led 2-0 and 3-2 but couldn’t quite keep it up at Scotiabank Arena when the Maple Leafs found top gear.
Nikolaj Ehlers commented: “We went out there with a plan and it worked early on, so that’s something we have to continue doing but also keep that for the full 60.
“We’re in a spot right now where we need to win games and, obviously besides the playoffs, this is the toughest part of the year and wins are not easy to get.
“We need to continue grinding. There’s got to be some belief in winning games because we have the team to do it.”
Captain Blake Wheeler added: “We played good in the first but we were cooked the rest of the game. We just didn’t have anything…I think we were just tired.”
Getting back home after a day to regroup should refresh the energy levels, which previously brought a hat-trick of overtime triumphs.
Looking at the NHL odds, we like 10.5 for Winnipeg to edge out Los Angeles 3-2 for the third time this term.
Los Angeles Kings Odds
Los Angeles were prone to the occasional blip last month, losing heavily to San Jose, Colorado, Vegas and Seattle.
However, they steadied the ship at the end of March by picking up a point at Edmonton and then winning 3-2 after a shootout at Calgary on successive nights.
“The West is really tight and we’ve got to earn every bit of ice there is out there,” said Swedish winger Viktor Arvidsson. “It’s fun to play.”
Unusually, the Kings have won six straight on the second leg of back-to-back games, so there is nothing wrong with their fitness levels.
Todd McLellan’s side are not noted for making fast starts and have scored a league-low 42 first-period goals this season.
However, both previous encounters with Winnipeg have been 1-1 after 20 minutes and 5.75 for that to happen again is added to our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
Toronto 7-3 WINNIPEG
Calgary 2-3 LOS ANGELES (OT)
Season head-to-head: Winnipeg 3-2 Los Angeles, Los Angeles 2-3 Winnipeg
