Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Tuesday’s matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues.
Jets vs. Blues Odds
- Winnipeg Jets Moneyline: +185
- St. Louis Blues Moneyline: -225
- Puck Line: Jets -1.5 (+120), Blues +1.5 (-145)
- Game Total: 5.5 (Over -115, Under -105)
Game odds via Sports Interaction.
Handicapping the Jets (18-7 SU, 14-11 ATS, 11-13-1 O/U)
With an 18-7 record, it might seem unusual to raise concerns about the Winnipeg Jets. However, they’ve dropped their last three games and six of their last nine overall. While eight of those games were on the road, the losses weren’t particularly close. Aside from a 4-3 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights, six of their seven losses have been by multiple goals.
The Jets have scored one or fewer goals in five of their last nine games after starting the season as the league’s hottest offensive team. They averaged 4.55 goals per 60 minutes in all situations over their first 16 games, but that rate has dropped to 2.33 goals per 60 minutes in their last nine games, ranking sixth-worst in the league. It also doesn’t help that Nikolaj Ehlers, the team’s third-leading scorer, has been placed on injured reserve.
Even the Jets defense has fallen off during this stretch. Winnipeg allowed the fewest goals per 60 minutes (2.12) in the league through its first 16 games, but the Jets have allowed 3.22 goals per 60 over their last nine games and that places them just outside the bottom 10 in that category.
Now, that doesn’t mean Winnipeg will fall to St. Louis on Tuesday. After all, the Jets have won nine out of the past 10 meetings against the Blues, including the last five in a row. Connor Hellebuyck has already been announced as the starter and that means Winnipeg will probably win the game. I’m just raising these concerns because the Jets are big favorites, and I’m not sure they can play up to their -225 moneyline odds.
Handicapping the Blues (11-14 SU, 14-11 ATS, 9-13-3 O/U)
St. Louis kicks off a four-game road trip through Western Canada on Tuesday, with stops in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The Blues will play eight of their next 11 games on the road, so this could be a make- or-break stretch for new head coach Jim Montgomery.
The Blues have been decent on the road this season, going 6-7 straight-up, and they’ve got two impressive road wins under their belt since Montgomery took over behind the bench. St. Louis defeated the Rangers by a score of 5-2 and then shut out the Devils 3-0 two days later. The Blues did suffer a 3-2 loss to the Flyers on home ice, but they played decently, owning 63 percent of the high-danger chances.
However, the Blues did lose an important player during all of this, as Pavel Buchnevich suffered an injury in the win over New Jersey and missed the game versus Philadelphia. Right now, Buchnevich is listed as day-to-day, but he is traveling with the Blues on the road trip, so he should return to action at some point in the next four games.
Best Bet for Jets vs. Blues
Winnipeg’s -225 odds are too steep to back, especially with the Jets heading in the wrong direction, because I value current form more than their dominance over the Blues in recent seasons. Additionally, St. Louis holds a rest advantage in this matchup. It’s not a great spot for Winnipeg.
The Jets’ lineup configuration, however, offers some intrigue. Brad Lambert will make his season debut, skating alongside Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi on one of the NHL’s youngest forward lines. While most sportsbooks aren’t offering props on Lambert to score or record a point, Vladislav Namestnikov’s promotion to the top line presents a notable player prop betting opportunity.
- Vladislav Namestnikov Anytime Goal (+450)
Namestnikov has quietly tallied six goals and nine assists this season, despite averaging under 14 minutes of ice time per game. On Tuesday, he’ll join Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor on the Jets’ top line, significantly boosting his ice time. He may also see minutes on the second power-play unit, creating more chances for shots and scoring opportunities. At +450 odds, Namestnikov is a compelling bet to score, even in a matchup projected to be a low-scoring affair.