Winnipeg Jets vs. N.Y. Rangers Prediction, Preview, and Odds
Two teams fighting for the top seed in their respective go head-to-head in a critical matchup as the New York Rangers host the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Rangers have 94 points through 68 games with Boston ahead by only one point for the #1 seed in the East and four points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes for the division title. Winnipeg is in a three-way tie with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars for the division with 91 points, but the Jets have played one less game than Colorado and two less than Dallas. The Vancouver Canucks are a mere point ahead of them for the #1 seed in the West. The Rangers are the favorite at -125 money line while the total is set at 5.5 goals.
Winnipeg With Another W
Winnipeg dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets in their latest outing by a score of 6-1. Tyler Toffoli had himself a day with two goals and an assist while Sean Monahan had a pair of assists in the victory. Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Jets while Connor Hellebuyck made 30 of 31 saves.
The Jets are currently 17th in the league in scoring and in shots, averaging 3.13 goals and earning 30.8 shots per game. Their power play ranks 20th in the league with a 19.3% success rate and their face-off percentage is at 47.7%, good for 24th in the NHL. The production on offense has been better than last year, and there is still room to grow for this team. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifle are in a fight for the team lead in points, but Scheifle has the advantage right now with 59. Connor has a team-high 29 goals while Mark Scheifele leads the forwards with 40 assists. Adam Lowry leads the forwards in penalty minutes with 55 while Nikolaj Ehlers has the best +/- among forwards with a +26. Scheifle has the most ice time among offensive skaters with an average of 20:06 per game while Gabriel Vilardi has a team-high six power play goals. Ehlers has the most shots on the squad with 190 and Scheifle has the most power play assists with 11. If the depth pieces can establish themselves as we hit the final stretch, Winnipeg could potentially earn the #1 seed in the West at the end of the regular season.
Defensively, the Jets are led by the goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. In his 49 starts on the year, he has 31 wins and 15 regulation losses with a 2.31 GAA and an 92.2% save percentage. The Jets are ranked 7th in shots against, averaging only 29.3 shots surrendered per game. Their penalty kill is 21st in the NHL with an 78.0% kill rate and they are giving up 2.34 goals per contest, good for #1 in the league. Josh Morrissey has logged the most ice time on average with 24:13, and he has been productive when on it. He leads not only defenders, but everyone else on the squad with 48 assists including 13 power play assists. Brenden Dillon has 81 minutes in the box while Dylan Demelo has the highest +/- ratio among defenders with a +35. Morrissey also has the most shots among defenders with 166, most goals among defenders with eight, and is one of three blue-liners to have scored a goal on the power play this season. Winnipeg has only one player listed on their injury report. Vilardi is out indefinitely with an upper body injury.
Rangers Racing for the Top
The Rangers defeated their cross-town rival in the Islanders by a score of 5-2. K'Andre Miller had a pair of assists and five different players scored for the Rangers. Alex Lafreniere led the team with four shots on goal and Igor Shesterkin made 25 of 27 saves in the victory.
The Rangers are currently 9th in goals per game with 3.35. They are 16th in shots per contest with 30.9, but they have been excellent in the face-off circle and on the power play. New York ranks 6th with a 52.7% win rate in face-offs and they are #6 on the power play with a 25.4% success rate thus far. Artemi Panarin has carried the team offensively with 94 points on the year while the player with the second-most points has only 64. Panarin leads the team in both goals and assists with 38 and 56 respectively while Chris Kreider has the best +/- ratio among forwards with a +22. Matt Rempe has the most penalty minutes on the squad with 54 and Vincent Trocheck spends the most time on the ice among offensive skaters with an average of 21:17 per game. Kreider has been lethal on the power play, scoring 13 of his 33 goals with the man advantage. 26 of Panarin's 56 assists have come from the power play as well, and Panarin has 240 shots on the year.
Adam Fox is the primary offensive weapon on the blue line with 56 points. He has 12 goals and 44 assists, both most among defenders. Jacob Trouba leads the defense with 52 penalty minutes while Fox leads the team with 23:13 of ice time per contest. Four of Fox's goals have come on the power play and 23 of his 44 assists have been associated with the power play. Trouba leads the blue-liners with 114 shots and Ryan Lindgren has the highest +/- ratio among blue-liners with a +19. Igor Shesterkin has taken the majority of reps in goal and has a 2.59 GAA and a 91.2% save percentage. Jonathan Quick has been a more than capable backup, stopping 91.6% of shots faced with a GAA of 2.46. As a unit, the Rangers have done well at limiting shots from their opposition, ranking 10th in the NHL with 29.5 shots against per game. Their penalty kill is a top-five unit with a kill rate of 83.4% and they are #5 in the league with a 2.68 goals against average per contest. New York has five players on the injury report. Trouba is out until late March with a lower body injury while Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler are out for the year. Ryan Lindgren is questionable for this upcoming contest with a lower body injury and Rempe will be eligible to play on Tuesday as he returns from suspension.
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Best Bets
Full-Game Side Bet
Rating:
Normally when I see a toss-up game between two equal opponents, I take the money line underdog. While that has proven to be successful in several instances, I'm leaning towards the Rangers money line in this scenario. Winnipeg's mediocre penalty kill worries me ever so slightly against an elite power-play unit in New York. Additionally, Winnipeg hasn't scored many goals against strong opponents like the Rangers in their last few games. New York is terrific at Madison Square Garden this year with a 24-8 record and the Rangers have won their last five of seven against the Jets.
Prediction: New York Rangers Money Line (-125)
Full-Game Total Pick
Rating:
Both teams come into this game having scored 12 goals each in their last two games, but I believe this game will be much more defensive. The Rangers and Jets are ranked near the top in goals against this season and Winnipeg specifically has given up one goal or less in their last three of four contests. Neither team will want to make a mistake and get caught on a counter-attack, meaning each squad will play a bit more cautiously, and will result in fewer opportunities to score. Winnipeg has a 34-24-9 record on the under this year and these teams have hit the under in their last six meetings against each other.
All of those games have totaled five goals or less.
Prediction: Under 5.5
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