Winnipeg Jets vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

It’s an interconference battle on the ice as a pair of teams looking to pick up two points do battle in the Sunshine State. The Winnipeg Jets are on the road as they travel to face the Florida Panthers Friday night. Winnipeg comes in off a 3-2 overtime win over Tampa Bay on the road in their previous contest Wednesday night. Florida was dropped 3-1 at home by Boston in their most recent contest Wednesday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Jets own a 6-4 advantage and have won the last three meetings. That includes a 6-4 home victory in the most recent matchup on October 14, 2023.

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Winnipeg Jets Seeking Fifth Straight Win

Winnipeg won their fourth straight game and their seventh in the last eight games as they downed the Lightning in overtime on the road Wednesday night. The Jets enter this game 11-5-2 and tied for second in the Central Division, two points behind the Stars for the top spot heading into this contest. Winnipeg enters this one 5 in the league in goals for as they average 3.67 goals a night. The Jets are 13 in goals against as they allow 3.06 goals per contest. Winnipeg is 21 on the power play by cashing in on 19% of the chances with the man advantage this season. The Jets are 29 in the league in penalty killing as they successfully navigate 72.9% of their shorthanded situations.

Against Tampa Bay, Winnipeg started strong and then earned the win in overtime after allowing the Lightning to tie the score. The Jets were outshot 16-10 in the opening period but skated off with a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play. Josh Morrissey opened the scoring with his third goal of the season at 5:29 off assists from Dylan DeMelo and Nikolaj Ehlers. Mark Scheifele made it a 2-0 game with his seventh goal of the season, on the power play, at 13:06 off assists from Morrissey and Cole Perfetti. They gave up a goal later in the period to halve their lead at the first intermission. In the second period, the Jets held an 11-10 edge in shots on goal but gave up the lone goal of the period to tie the score at two. The third period saw Winnipeg hold an 8-6 edge in shots with neither team denting the twine to send the game to overtime. During the extra session, the Jets held a 3-1 shot advantage and found the back of the net to earn the win. Adam Lowry won it with his third goal of the season at 1:39 of the extra session with assists going to Neal Pionk and Vladislav Namestnikov. Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves for the Jets, who were outshot 33-32, in the contest. He’s expected to be between the pipes for this contest as well.

Florida Panthers Look to Rebound at Home

Florida had won two straight and seven of their previous eight but was handcuffed by Boston at home in their previous contest. The Panthers dropped to 12-6-1 on the season and entered Friday second in the Atlantic Division, six points behind the Bruins for the top spot in the standings. Florida is 20 in the league in goals per game as they put up an average of 3.05 goals a night this season. The Panthers are 9 in the league in goals against as they allow an average of 2.74 goals per contest. Florida is 23 in power play success as they have cashed in on 16.1% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Panthers are 22 in the league in penalty killing as they successfully navigate 76.7% of their shorthanded situations on the year.

Against Boston, Florida was hampered offensively by the stingy Bruins’ defense and that ended up costing them the game. The Panthers held a 15-12 advantage in shots on goal in the opening period but trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. In the second period, the shots were even at seven but the Panthers were outscored 2-1 to trail 3-1 at the second intermission. Anton Lundell got the Panthers on the board and knotted the game at one with his second goal of the season at 10:33 off assists from Nick Cousins and Niko Mikkola. They gave up the go-ahead goal just 41 seconds later and another later in the period for good measure. The shots were even at six in the third period with neither team lighting the lamp, leaving the Panthers on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for the Panthers, who held a 28-25 edge in shots on goal, in the loss. He is expected to get the start in goal for this contest.

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Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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Winnipeg has been playing strong hockey of late with four straight wins and seven wins in their last eight games. The Jets may be on the road here and they are facing a Florida team that has had some issues lighting the lamp. In addition, the Panthers have had struggles in special teams this season. Hellebuyck has righted the ship after a rough stretch earlier in the season, helping stabilize the Jets and pushing them into a second-place tie with the Avalanche in the Central Division. With the way Winnipeg is playing right now, you have to back the team with momentum at this point. Hellebuyck shuts down Florida’s attack while Scheifele and Kyle Connor do the job offensively to carry the Jets to a victory.

Prediction: Winnipeg Jets +125

Full-Game Total Pick

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Winnipeg has seen the over post a 10-7-1 mark in their 18 games this season. The Jets have seen an average total of 6.72 goals per game on the season. That number falls to an average of 6.38 goals per game on the road in the first six weeks of the season. Five of Winnipeg’s eight games on the road have gone over the total this season. Florida has seen the over post a 10-9 mark in their 19 games this season. The Panthers have posted an average total of 5.79 goals per game so far this season but that number climbs to 6.22 goals per game on home ice. Florida has gone over the number in five of their nine contests at home this season. In this contest, you have to look for both teams playing tough in their own end of the ice, keeping this game under the total.

Prediction: Under 6.5

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO.  If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career.  Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.