Wild vs. Jets Game 1 Prediction
Will the Winnipeg Jets take Game 1 of their series against the Minnesota Wild tonight when the two teams meet in the opening round of the NHL playoffs at 7:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
(003) Minnesota Wild at (004) Winnipeg Jets
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
TV: CNBC
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook YouWager, the Jets are -183 money line favorites to beat the Wild, who currently are +163 underdogs to pull off a Game 1 upset. Our NHL Public Betting Information page shows that 74% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Jets to win on the money line tonight.
Winnipeg Jets showed dominance in the regular-season series
The Jets won three of the four regular-season meetings between these two teams as the Wild scored a total of just six goals in the first three meetings (all losses) between these two teams. That said, Minnesota did win the regular season finale between these two teams, beating Winnipeg 4-1.
The home crowd should be electric tonight as the Jets franchise has not had home ice advantage since 1985. The Jets led the league with 66 home points and have won nine straight at Bell MTS Place. They also led the league with 32 home victories, which only four other teams have done over the past 13 seasons.
Minnesota Wild will be without key defenseman Ryan Suter
Suter underwent season-ending surgery to repair a fracture in his right ankle. He suffered the injury during a recent game against the Dallas Stars. Losing him for the playoffs was a significant blow for Minnesota. He put up six goals and 51 points in 78 games this season and also averaged 26:47 of ice time this season. The Wild have a deep blueline but no other defenseman is eating up that kind of minutes.
Meanwhile, Devan Dubnyk will get the nod in Game 1 tonight. He finished the regular season with a 35-16-7 record with a 2.52 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. He’ll have his hands full against this dynamic Winnipeg offense.
Betting Trends
Minnesota
The Wild are 1-4 in their last five games versus the Jets and are 2-6 in their last eight trips to Winnipeg.
Winnipeg
The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams.
Our Prediction
The Jets are the far superior team in this matchup and their talent will shine over the course of this series. The addition of Paul Stastny at the deadline gave the Jets’ already outstanding offense three lines capable of scoring at any point. The former Blue has helped young wingers Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers’ games develop even more of late.
A couple of years ago the Wild upset the Blues in the first round because they jammed the house in front of the net and forced St. Louis to shot from the perimeter. But the Jets have too much skill to be held in check.
Our Prediction: Winnipeg Jets -183