Jets vs Bruins Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

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22 January 2024

Jets vs Bruins Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

Two of the NHL's best teams are set to meet tonight in Boston, and although Winnipeg will miss Mark Scheifele, the play of Connor Hellebuyck will keep this game close — especially in the first period. Find out more in our NHL picks for the Jets vs. Bruins!

TD Garden will play host to the marquee matchup in the NHL on Monday, with the Boston Bruins hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Both teams lead their respective divisions and hang with the betting favorites in the Stanley Cup odds.

The Bruins boast a dominant 15-3–3 record at home and are the favorite in the NHL odds for this tape-measuring matchup. Boston has also won four straight and will have a healthy lineup jumping the boards tonight.

While the Jets will be without No. 1 center Mark Scheifele (lower body), they’ve dealt with injuries to impact players all season and haven’t missed a beat. Winnipeg is cruising along with a league-best 18-2-2 heater since the calendar flipped to December and has traveled well with a 14-4-2 road record.

Here are my free NHL picks for the Jets vs. Bruins showdown on January 22.

Jets vs Bruins odds

Jets vs Bruins predictions

The Winnipeg Jets haven’t allowed more than two goals in regulation since the calendar flipped to December. They’ve allowed the fewest 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes (1.64), and No. 1 netminder Connor Hellebuyck is in the midst of a career year with a .927 SV%, 2.15 GAA, and a league-best 22.4 goals saved above average.

Defense has also been the calling card for the Boston Bruins. They rank second in goals against per 60 (2.04) at 5-on-5, and also sport a fifth-ranked 83.6 penalty-kill percentage. Boston also welcomed reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark back from a lower-body injury that cost him a handful of games.

The goalie tandem of Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman has been money for the Bruins over the past two years, as they’ve combined for a league-best .924 SV% since the beginning of last year.

Both teams have been particularly stingy during the first period this season, too. Winnipeg has allowed the second-fewest first-period goals (25), and Boston’s 27 against are the fourth fewest. Additionally, the Jets have only scored 30 times in the first, which is 31st in the NHL. Boston is up to a sixth-ranked 46 first-period goals, but six of those tallies have come in the past two games with an absurdly high shooting percentage of 23.1%.

Finally, this total is just 5.5, so goals are expected to be at a premium. I’m anticipating both the Jets and Bruins to play conservatively, with extra attention to defensive detail to open the game.

My best bet: Under 1.5 first-period goals (-115 at SIA)

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Jets vs Bruins same-game parlay

Under 1.5 first-period goals

Under 5.5 goals

In addition to my best bet, I’m adding the game-long Under 5.5 goals. It correlates with the 1P Under, and as highlighted, both the Jets and Bruins are high-end defensive clubs. Additionally, while Winnipeg has been able to overcome injuries to key players all season, playing without Scheifele is a blow. He leads the Jets in points and ice time per game, so his absence hurts Winnipeg’s offensive upside.

Boston also has a 15.2 team shooting percentage during its four-game winning streak, so there’s statistical correction ahead of its scoring efficiency. The Bruins already had a high 10.8% mark through the first 41 games of the season, after all.

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Jets vs Bruins moneyline and Over/Under analysis

There usually isn’t notable line movement in NHL games because of the limited time between the opening numbers being released and puck drop. This Winnipeg-Boston tilt is a bit of an exception.

While the Boston -135 moneyline through SIA isn’t far off the opening Boston -145 number, there has been action on both teams. Winnipeg was trading at +105 on multiple occasions after opening at +120. The Jets are +110 on the moneyline as of Monday morning, and I would suspect there to continue to be minor adjustments to these odds leading into puck drop.

SIA had an outlier 6.0 total with -110 odds on both sides at opening, but it has since moved to the consensus 5.5 total. The Over is carrying the higher vig on the 5.5 total across the industry, and I’m not anticipating notable movement to the numbers as long as Connor Hellebuyck starts for the Jets.