Jets vs. Maple Leafs NHL Free Pick
(The Spread) – After picking up their first win of 2011, the Jets look to make it two in a row when they travel to Toronto tonight.
WINNIPEG: The Jets started the season dropping their first three games but beat the Penguins 2-1 on Monday night to push their record to 1-3. Alexander Burmistrov leads the team in both points (3) and plus/minus (+3) while Ondrej Pavelec currently carries a 3.37 goals against average. The Jets are 0-2 on the road this year so they’ll be searching for their first victory away from Winnipeg in 2011.
TORONTO: The Maple Leafs lost 3-2 to Colorado in a shootout on Monday but won their first three games of the season. They’re currently a game ahead of Buffalo in the Northeast Standings and are now 3-0-1 at home this season. Phil Kessel leads the team with nine points while Dion Phaneuf has a team-high +8 in plus/minus. James Reimer has already collected three wins on the season and carries a 2.49 GAA heading into tonight’s contest.
ODDS: Not surprisingly, the Maple Leafs are heavily favored in this one. Oddsmakers currently list them as a –160 favorite against the Jets, who are +147 on the ML. The over/under total for this game is currently sitting at 5.5 goals.
NHL FREE PICK: Take the over. According to latest NHL trends, the over is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams in Toronto and 9-3 in the last 12 overall meetings. The over is also 6-1 in the Maple leafs’ last seven games playing on one day of rest and 4-1 in their last five games versus a team with a win percentage below .400. The over is 4-1 in the Jets’ last five games after scoring two goals or less in their previous outing and 20-7-4 in their last 31 road games versus a team with a home winning percentage of .600 or greater.
WEDNESDAY NHL FREE PICK: JETS/MAPLE LEAFS OVER 5.5
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